Chasing The Moon
by Kuroi Koneko
Summary: AU: Made a senshi at a young age, Bunny was separated from Luna. Years later, Luna has grouped most of the Senshi but never mentioned a Sailor Moon. Then things get complicated... 'cause Bunny's back, and she's brought company.
1. Discovery

**Chasing the Moon**

**Part One: A Living Dream or Reality?**

**Chapter One: Discovery**

**Summary: A Senshi too soon she was forced to leave Japan, leaving broken ties. Years later she returns, but her company & mission separate her from the other scouts. What about this double enemy? Will the 2 'factions' of senshi combine? Or will they all fall?**

Hey people! Well, this is the first chapter of my first fanfic. It probably won't be all that great until further along but I still hope you find it interesting. For the most part the story will be told in third person (author's p.o.v.) but there will be some sections that have a first person narrative, only I'm not telling you who it will be. Hehe, you go figure it out, it's really not that hard to guess. You'll eventually find it out. If anyone is confused from the introduction I'm very sorry, I hope this clears things up at least a little for you.

Now on to the story!!

* * *

I watched her for several weeks before I made my move. I wanted to be sure she was the one. After today, I was positive.

She exudes such an aura of purity and enchantment that there is no doubt; I have found the first Senshi. There is much I have to train her in.

* * *

A young girl came bounding out of a house, shattering the silence that engulfed the neighborhood with a cheerful,

"Bye Momma! I'll see you after school!"

"Bye, honey. Have a nice day," a woman replied, laughing slightly as she watched the girl chase after her school bus. The woman was startled out of her trance by the feel of something soft and sleek rubbing against her ankle. When she looked down she saw a cat with fur blacker than midnight. The woman bent down to pick up the cat. She gasped in shock as she saw the color of its eyes.

_What a remarkable color for a black cat. I don't think I've ever seen this color on a cat before._

"Who do you belong to, Kitty? You must have an owner since you have such a remarkable coloring. I'd say you are very much a pure-blooded cat," she muttered to herself.

"Ikuko! Ikuko, if you don't hurry you're going to miss your appointment at the doctors, dear!" a man yelled from inside the house.

"Oh my goodness!" Ikuko yelled. "Kenji, please take care of this cat, will you dear? Take her to the vet and if she's given a clean bill of health and no one claims her, I'd like to give her to Usagi as a birthday present. All right, honey?" Ikuko asked her husband as she walked into the house. Her husband, Kenji, walked up to her and scooped the cat out of her arms. He took a quick glance at the feline reclining in his arms and gave a small frown when he noticed its solid black coloring.

He gave a quick kiss to his wife and replied, "Of course, honey, but we'll talk about your birthday present idea when you get home. I'll take her to the vets in a little while, but you're going to miss your appointment if you linger any longer."

"All right, all right, I'm going! See," she laughed, grabbing her coat and car keys, "I'm out the door and leaving. Be nice to the cat. I'll see you when I get home. I love you!" Ikuko winked at the cat, flashed a bright smile at her husband, and closed the door before Kenji could so much as say goodbye. A few seconds later the sound of a door shutting and a car starting, then departing, was heard.

"Meow."

"I suppose you want something to eat, right?" Kenji asked, glancing down at the cat he was still holding.

_What an amazing eye color! I don't think I've ever seen such blue eyes on a cat before, certainly not on a black one._ _Beautiful . . . ._ His thoughts wandered into blankness as he stared into the cat's strangely compelling sapphire blue eyes.

"Meow," the cat cried softly, jolting the entranced man back to reality. "Meow, meow."

"All right, then. Let's see what foods we have that are suitable for a cat's consumption," he gave a small frown as he thought of what was in the house. "Maybe we'll keep you after all. I'm sure Usagi would love to get a cat for a birthday surprise today." He took another quick glance at the cat.

The cat just purred contentedly, her tail swaying back and forth gently as the duo entered the kitchen in a quest for a feline brunch.

* * *

(At the vets)

"What do you think of her, Dr. Shuko?" Kenji asked the vet.

"Well, to be truthful, I'm completely surprised. The tests for illnesses and any prior vaccinations show that she's 100 healthy and in no need for shots -" the cat seemed to give a little jump at the word 'shots' but no one noticed - "and none of our records show an ownership of a feline matching this description. Unless you want her put down -" again the cat seemed to give a jump, this one slightly larger, but again no one noticed - "or given over to the animal pound/shelter, then I guess she's all yours." Dr. Shuko smiled at Kenji and the cat, secretly hoping that he would take home the amazing cat since the shelters were too full and could only put down the animal.

_Which would be shame, _she thought, since it's such a gorgeous creature. _I wish I could take it home but I have too many pets as it is._

"Thank you, Dr. Shuko. My wife and I were thinking of keeping her and giving her to our daughter as a surprise birthday present."

"Well, I think that that would be a very good idea. I hope your daughter enjoys her new pet, Mr. Tsukino."

"Thank you."

* * *

(Back at the Tsukino's)

After Ikuko came home, she and Kenji talked about whether they should give this unusually colored cat to their daughter Usagi as a birthday present. After a long debate that lasted until five minutes before Usagi was due to come home Kenji finally gave in and agreed to the idea.

Usagi came bounding into the house, her greeting made in a rush of words that her parents knew were almost always the same. Even if they didn't always understand what she was saying at that moment.

"HiMom,hiDad.Ihadareallygreatdaytoday.Ohbytheway,canIgoovertoNaru'shousetoplay?AndcanIhaveasnackplease?" A relatively traditional greeting for little Usagi "Usagi" Tsukino.

Ikuko came out of the living room chuckling slightly, an affectionate smile on her face as she looked upon her energetic daughter.

"Hello, darling. Yes, you can have a snack - there should be some cookies for you on the table. Now what was your other question?"

"I asked if I can go over to Naru's house to play? Please?"

"All right dear -"

"Yea!!" Usagi shouted.

"- on one condition," her mother continued, finishing her interrupted sentence.

"Oh Mom! What is it?" Usagi sighed, making it seem like more of a punishment than a simple request.

Her mother merely smiled. "Just finish up your homework and I'll take you over. Okay?"

Usagi sighed again. "All right Mom, I'll be done in half an hour, okay?"

"That's fine dear. Now go hurry and do your homework."

"K!" And with that Usagi bounded up the stairs to her room to do her homework. She came back down the stairs a few moments later with a sheepish grin on her face. "Hehe, forgot my cookies," she said. Both her parents laughed lightly at their daughter.

Just as she said, Usagi had finished her homework thirty minutes later and her mother drove her over to her best friend Naru's house.

* * *

Hmm. Interesting. I must remember this.

Now, when the time is right I shall reveal myself to the Guardian but I must time this carefully. It doesn't seem like I'll be able to get much time alone with her.

Soon. The time is coming soon.

* * *

Hehe. I know it's short, but I wanted to post this up as somewhat of a cliffhanger. Review and tell me who my mystery person is!! And thanx so much to Marni, Cosmic Sailor Sun, and star0704 for reviewing when I first posted!! I hope this met your expectations and that you all enjoyed this chapter.

Until next time!!

Kuroi Koneko


	2. Crescent Moons and Dreams

**Chasing The Moon**

**Chapter Two: Crescent Moons and Forgotten Dreams**

Thanx again to those of you who have reviewed, it really means a lot to me to know what you think of my story so far!! I know that chapter one was kinda short, and to be honest I hadn't meant to stop it there but I wanted to get out the first chapter for you. I also realized I had forgotten to add in something: the prophecy!! I'm sorry! I know I said that I would be putting it in the chapters. Oh well, I'll add that in here since it'll fit in nicely with what I had planned.

Another thing I might've forgotten to mention is that my story will be based more on the manga characters than on the anime ones (their looks and personalities and such).

I hope you all liked the first chapter, I hope you'll like the second chapter, and remember to REVIEW!!!!

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After Usagi had gotten home from playing over at Naru's house her parents told her to change her clothes and put on something nice. When she asked why they only said that they were going out to eat since Ikuko didn't want to cook dinner.

As Usagi rushed up the stairs to her bedroom she mumbled to herself.

"What to wear, what to wear, wonder where we're eating at . . . what to wear . . Hmmm . . Ah ha!" She cried in triumph as she pulled out her light lavender colored dress. It was one of her favorites and the only one she could find at the moment since she didn't really feel like digging through the bottom of her closet. She put on the dress and stood in front of the full-length mirror that occupied the back of her room door.

Her mother and father always said that they liked it the best since the lavender color brought out the blue and silver flecks in her eyes. Usagi liked it because of the little bunnies and rose buds that decorated it in a lighter shade of lavender. You had to look very closely to see them but they were there. The dress and 1 inch straps to hold it with a square cut neckline that came down just below her collarbone. A 2 inch satiny ribbon went that went under where her bust would have been (she's only 6 now) wrapped around the dress to tie in the back. From the ribbon the dress flowed in gentle little waves to just below her knees, a few layers of sheer lacy material giving the dress more "fluff" to it.

Usagi grabbed the silver star necklace and earring set she had gotten from Naru as a birthday present earlier and put them, the jewelry complimenting the ensemble nicely. After quickly redoing her hair in her traditional double buns-and-streamers to keep it neater and grabbing a pair of silvery flat shoes, Usagi bounded downstairs again and awaited her parents' inspection.

"Oh Usagi-chan, you look lovely," her mother gushed, smiling happily at her only child.

"As pretty as a princess, Usagi. Shall we be going my lovely ladies?"

Usagi gave a little giggle at her father's familiar compliment and following question. "Ready when you are!!" she cried happily. "Um, where are going though?"

"It's a surprise. We have more than one thing to celebrate tonight, darling," her mother said, giving her curious little daughter an enigmatic smile. "More than one thing."

The threesome piled into the car and Kenji slowly backed out of the driveway. All of them were unaware of a pair of sapphire eyes that watched them from the shadows.

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Hmmm. If this "other" celebration is for the reason I think it is, it could pose some hindrance to my plan. I'll just have to wait and see.

I can't wait long though. Time is running out and there's still so much to do!

Soon. I'll reveal it to her soon.

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When Usagi saw where they were going to be eating her eyes nearly popped out of her head. It was the Midnight Cascade!!! THE most expensive and reservations-sought-after restaurant in the city!

"Daddy! We're not **_really_ **eating here, are we?" Usagi asked with a slight tremble in her voice. She was telling herself to not get her hopes up, they were probably going to eat at the Crimson Lights restaurant across the street. It would still be required to dress nicely to eat there, but she had never eaten at the Midnight Cascade and she really wanted to.

"Of course we are Usagi! Why else would I be parking in the parking lot here?" Kenji replied with a slight smile and chuckle. He had known how much his rambunctious daughter had wanted to eat here and had made reservations a few months ago. But with the news he had recently received made it even more appropriate to eat and celebrate there tonight.

"Shall we go in?" Ikuko asked. "They may not hold our reservations for very long. . . "

Well, that did the trick! Usagi was unbuckled and out of the car before her parents could even blink and was impatiently urging her parents to hurry up. As soon as her parents were out she grabbed their hands and tried to drag them to the entrance.

The parents laughed at their daughter's antics knowing full and well that their reservations wouldn't be dropped. They watched with happiness as Usagi's eyes light up with awe and joy and her whole body became still with barely suppressed excitement.

The Tsukinos walked up to the entrance , got their reservations, and were then led to the table reserved for them. Usagi had finally calmed down enough to remember something that her parents had said that she didn't quite understand.

"Mommy, what did you mean when you said we have more than one reason to celebrate tonight?"

Ikuko and Kenji looked at each other and then smiled at their daughter.

"Well, honey, how do you feel about being a big sister?"

"I GET TO BE A BIG SISTER!! YEAH!" Well, that was an obvious answer.

"Usagi! Lower your voice! I know your mother and I didn't teach you to be so rude in such a formal place like this." Kenji stared at his daughter with a hint of anger in his eyes. He softened his tone and posture when he saw his daughter bow her head and heard a mumbled "Sorry Papa" from her direction. "It's all right dear, I'm not really angry with you. I know I did the same thing when your mother told me I was going to be a father a second time." He smiled.

Usagi lifted her head and took a quick peek at her father. After seeing he was being sincere she raised her head fully and gave a bright, joyful smile to her parents.

"So is it a boy or a girl baby?"

The trio had finished their dinner with happy conversations on what to name the coming baby, which Usagi had been told would be a boy. Among name suggestions were also questions on where his room would be, how to decorate it, should they get an addition added onto the house to make more room, where should they put a playroom, etc. They paid the bill for dinner (Kenji's eyes nearly popping out of their sockets when he saw the price!) and left to return home.

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(At the Tsukino's)

When the family returned home Ikuko told Usagi to go change her clothes and then come back downstairs for the rest of her presents.

"You mean I get MORE?! I'm perfectly happy with just being able to have eaten at the Midnight Cascade. What else did ya get me?" Usagi tried to keep her curiosity in check, but couldn't do so for very long; thus the final question.

"Yes, you have a few more presents. Now go and change, I don't want you ruining your dress when you receive your presents."

Usagi didn't have to be told a third time. She rushed up the stairs to her bedroom and practically ripped off her pretty dress. She didn't feel like changing into yet another outfit so she just threw on her pajamas. After taking off her jewelry and setting her hair into "nighttime mode" she slid down the stairs and into the living room where her parents sat patiently. The first thing Usagi noticed were two boxes, one sitting on each of her parents laps. As she walked closer to them she realized that there was a basket on the floor next to her mother's feet.

When Usagi reached her mother she leaned down to remove the cloth that hid whatever was under the basket, but she was stopped when her mother grabbed her wrist lightly telling her that it was to be saved for last.

Slightly disappointed, but not showing it, Usagi obediently opened the boxes first. Her face lit up when the first present revealed the new bunny stuffed animal toy that she had been wanting for several months. She smiled again when the second present turned out to be a gift certificate worth $20 to any store in the mall. Usagi turned to her mother and asked,

"Can I see what is in the basket now, please?"

Ikuko agreed, and looked at the basket. She wondered if the present was still in there since not a sound was heard from it all evening. She watched in eager anticipation as her daughter lifted the cloth, revealing the midnight black cat. She had curled up into a little ball on her side, a ribbon around tied her neck in a large bow, the dark blue color of it matching her eyes (if they had been open). The little cat was sleeping.

Usagi gave an awed little cry and reached out for the kitten, gently lifting her out of the basket to avoid waking her. She wasn't so successful, but the newly woken kitten didn't seem to mind too much.

"Oooh, she's so adorable! What's her name?" Usagi asked softly, her eyes never straying from her new pet's.

"You can name her whatever you like dear. She's yours. Of course you'll have to do most of the work for taking care of her, but I'm sure your father and I can help you out from time to time." Ikuko smiled at her daughter, inwardly pleased that she liked the mysterious cat.

Taking a close look at the cat, Usagi noticed a gold colored patch of skin that looked like a crescent moon opening upwards. She suddenly knew what to name her,

"I'll call her Luna."

Ikuko and Kenji looked at each other startled. The cat, dubbed 'Luna', seemed to have a look of surprise on her face before it quickly disappeared and her face took on the appearance of a normal cat's. Luna purred in contentment and agreement at her new name, her tail swishing back and forth gently, body rumbling from the force of the purrs, all the while looking into her new owner's eyes.

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She is definitely the one. I will tell her tonight. The forces are becoming too strong and she will be needed and called upon anyway.

Tonight her destiny starts.

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Although Ikuko and Kenji were confused when their daughter named her cat 'Luna', they became even more confused when she explained _why_she named her 'Luna'.

"It's because of that gold-colored-crescent-moon-bald-spot on her forehead, see?" Usagi explained, holding up Luna for their inspection.

Usagi's parents took a long look at their daughter, then at Luna, and then back to their daughter. Simultaneously they looked at one another and then felt Usagi's forehead to check for a fever. After several minutes of trying to tell her that there was nothing on the cat's forehead except her black fur, Usagi finally gave in and said that Luna just seemed like a good name for her.

That night, as Usagi was sleeping she had a strange dream. She was standing on a balcony looking down upon a beautiful garden full of white roses. Her first thought was that it was night out, but then why were the roses in full bloom? and then she realized that the light had a bluish tint to it although she couldn't find its source.

The sound of light footsteps was heard behind her and she turned around to face her visitor, slightly upset at the intrusion. She had to look up at her guest and saw a beautiful woman before her. Her hair was a silvery-lavender color, put up in a style like the one Usagi wore during the daytime. The woman wore a dress that hugged her figure, but was loose enough that it didn't seem indecent. Her facial features were mostly blocked by shadows but her silhouette was seen clearly with the light behind her. The only distinguishing marks about her was the faintly glowing crescent moon on her forehead, much like Luna's, and her lavender-blue eyes that gazed upon Usagi with love and hope.

"Who are you?"

"Someone from long ago, himeko. Someone you don't need to know much about at the moment. The shadows are closing in faster than I expected, and I don't know how much time I have here with you. I want you to know and remember that I love you always and will forever be with you, himeko," the mysterious woman replied in a melodious voice.

Although her words struck a disturbing chord with her, her voice made Usagi feel as though she had known this woman before, and both loved and trusted her very much. All of a sudden, the surroundings started to fade and a faint yet unfamiliar voice was heard, calling Usagi's name.

"Before you go, himeko, remember this: Shadows do not exist in the presence of Light, and the Heavens cradle the brightest Lights of all. Don't forget this, himeko. Be safe my --!"

Those last words were cut off as Usagi was pulled from her strange dream world into reality by --

Her _CAT_!!??

"Okay, now this is an even weirder dream than before!" Usagi said to herself as she stared into Luna's eyes. "I _know_ that my cat did not say my name. Cats don't talk! That's how things are, isn't that right Luna?" she asked her cat. She had meant it as a rhetorical question, she was hardly expecting her cat to reply!

"That may be the case with _ordinary_ cats, but I'm not just _any_ ordinary cat, Usagi. Just like you are not just _any_ ordinary girl. You are the defender of love and justice, guarded by the Moon, holder of the powers of the moonlight, and the leader of the Sailor Senshi – Sailor Moon!"

When poor Usagi heard those words she fainted dead away.

_Oh dear. Looks like I have more work than I thought. At least I have some time. The Negaverse isn't that strong yet, and attacks happen barely once a month, but it's better to be safe than sorry and get an early start._

And with that thought in mind, Luna set about the near-impossible task of trying to wake up little seven year old Usagi Tsukino.

* * *

BTW - himeko - I'm using this to mean 'my little princess' (hime means princess, -ko means 'my little' or 'little') I think that's it. I hope everyone likes the story so far and please keep reading!! It'll get better!! 


	3. Difficulties

**Chasing the Moon**

By Kuroi Koneko

**A.N. -** Thank you so much those of you who have reviewed for reviewing this story. I'm glad _SOME_ people are actually reading and enjoying this. I hope it lives up to your expectations.

I'm sorry for not posting any chapters sooner but I've had some serious writer's block where this fic was concerned. At least for the beginning of it, I have some great ideas for the middle and ending already! **:: smacks forehead ::** Do the beginning first Kuroi! Hehe, well the chapters may get a bit short if you want them out faster otherwise keep reviewing or emailing me to get me to write. I write more and better with encouragement and nagging (hint hint!!). Well, here's the next chapter for all of you who read this!

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon :: grumbles :: I **DO** own Lana and her characterization though, as well as this plot. You like it or them, ask to use please. That is all.

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**Chapter Three: Slight Difficulties and Adjustments**

**Poor Luna, a seven-year-old girl sprawled out at her paws and with a reputation of being a _very_ heavy sleeper. And she has to wake the girl up. Poor, poor Luna.**

**Luna tried very hard to wake up Usagi. She really tried, but as it was it took Luna nearly three hours to get Usagi to wake up. Getting rolled onto, kicked and slapped halfway across the room, several times in the process. By the time she accomplished this feat she was almost too exhausted to continue.**

**Struggling out from under the sheets that had been dumped on her when the girl finally sat up. Luna sighed as she saw Usagi looking around the room dazedly, wondering what had woke her. Oh well, might as well get this over with.**

**"Usagi . . ." Luna coaxed gently and watched as the child's eyes grew to the size of saucers as she looked down at the cat. "It's alright. Nothing's wrong but I need you to do something for me," she paused as the dumbstruck girl nodded. "Keep your voice down, we don't want to wake you parents."**

**"Th-this as a dream, right? I mean cats don't talk except in fairy-tails." Usagi asked shakily, though she did remember to keep quiet.**

**"I assure you I can indeed speak and this can't be a dream because you know the rule is you never mention dreams in a dream. Anyway that's not important right now, the important thing is that I've been looking for you for quite some time. It is your destiny to do great and miraculous things and I'm here to teach you." Luna explained.**

**Usagi laughed softly. "I get it. This is a joke isn't it? Mum and Dad are probably hiding in the closet right now, saying these things to make it seem like you're talking. It's a game they want to surprise me with for my birthday." And Usagi continued to babble on about this was all a trick or a really funky dream.**

**Luna sighed, she decided that subtle techniques would be lost on a seven-year-old, especially the 7-year-old that _she_ was dealing with. Now she just had to think of a way to get Usagi's attention without alerting the rest of the household . . . . . Suddenly Luna's eyes lit up.**

**_Bingo!_**

**Luna eyed her new charge a bit warily before deciding to speak again. "I have a present for you Usagi."**

**Usagi immediately became silent and turned her eyes to her pet. Her blue gems sparkled with anticipation at the thought of receiving another gift. Luna chuckled inwardly at the site the child made, a small upturning of her lips (1) the only outward sign of her amusement. Luna leisurely walked along Usagi's pink-bunnies-and-stars (AN - on a white background, the stars are gold) bedspread, gracefully jumping to the cleared dresser top, before sitting down on her haunches and turning her attention to Usagi once again.**

**"What I am about to give you is very special, Usagi, and will prove to be most invaluable to you in the future." _Well, a little mystery never killed anyone,_ Luna thought. "Do you think you can handle it?"**

**"Yes yes yes! Please let me have it!" Usagi squealed in excitement. She had never gotten anything that sounded so magical before.**

**Luna secretly smiled at the girl's antics before putting on a more serious train of thought. Without a word Luna silently did a backflip and in midair a pink colored locket (2) appeared and dropped on the bedspread. It had a gold crescent moon on it surrounded by eight gemstones; aquamarine, yellow topaz, emerald, ruby, onyx, sapphire, a dark purple amethyst, and a turquoise colored gem (3). For a moment each gem seemed to glow with its own colored light before it faded, leaving Usagi to wonder if it was just her imagination or not. And then she got over her shock and surprise.**

**"OH WOW!!" she cried out. She quickly toned down her voice when she saw the reprimanding and cautious look on Luna's face. "Hehe, sorry Lunakins." Usagi turned her attention back to the locket that rested on her bed. "This is so beautiful, thank you so much Lunakins!"**

**"Just remember, Usagi, it's not only something pretty. It is also very powerful and very valuable so take very good care of it, all right?"**

**"Uh huh, whatever you say, Lunakins! I'll take good care of it, I promise!" Usagi flipped on her small table lamp, quickly looking over the locket more thoroughly before searching for a way to keep it with her. _I would not like to keep such a pretty thing hidden in my pocket if I could help it,_ she thought absently.**

**Luna sweatdropped and threw a slightly worried look at her charge before sighing resignedly. Gently nudging the seven year old's hand toward the lamp switch she said softly, "Come now, Usagi. Turn off the light and go back to bed. It's late and we can discuss this more indepth at another time."**

**Almost on cue Usagi's eyes drooped a little bit and she suppressed a yawn from behind her hand.**

**"'Kay, Lunakins," she mumbled sleepily. "Night night. Don't let the flea-bugs bite!" she giggled. Luna mock glared at the half-asleep child even though the expression went unnoticed. Usagi clumsily climbed back into bed, belly-flopping onto her pillow and then snuggling it. She was asleep within moments of closing her arms around the feather-stuffed case. Luna smiled fondly at the child from her vantagepoint on the dress. She pounced lightly on the captive pillow before walking towards the comforter's edge, gripping it with her teeth she slowly and steadily pulled it up to Usagi's shoulders being careful not to rip any holes in it with her sharp teeth.**

**"Good night, little one. Sweetest dreams." Luna curled up on the pillow, softly purring as she eased her ward into a deeper sleep.**

* * *

**The next morning was a Saturday, and since her parents knew how late she slept in on weekend mornings, Usagi was quite surprised when she was awoken by a constant rough surface skimming across her cheek and nose. She absently swatted at the offense, startled by the furry feel of a soft _thump,_ a resounding yowl, followed by another soft thump as said offense fell off the bed. She sat up and blearily looked down on her floor to find Luna sprawled across her carpet with a slightly more-squashed-in face, her slit blue eyes narrowed up at the girl.**

**"Mornin' Lunakins." Usagi looked at her bedside clock. "Any particular reason you woke me up at 7:30 in the morning on a Saturday? I get to sleep until at _least_ noon you know," she glared at her innocent-looking cat.**

**"Yes, Usagi, I know. Which is _why_ I woke you up so early. Because you are not expected to wake up until at least noon we will have about 3 hours to train before anyone suspects your absence." She sighed at she caught sight of Usagi's blank face. "Usagi," she said calmly, "you will get dressed, we will go to a hidden place in the park that I scouted out a few days ago, I will answer whatever questions you have that I can, and I will begin to train you to be a Sailor Senshi. All right?"**

**Usagi's face remained blank. "What's a Sailor Senshi?"**

**Luna groaned. "Usagi, just get dressed, grab the locket I gave you last night, and let's go."**

**Usagi pouted for a moment before complying with Luna's demands. She quickly got dressed, locked her door just in case her parents decided to come in and found she wasn't in her room, opened the window, grabbed Luna and carefully began to climb down the old branchy tree a short distance away. Her bare foot stepped lightly onto the first branch, her arm reaching out to secure her grasp and leverage herself off the windowsill. She brought her other foot onto the branch pushing slightly until she was balanced on the tree branch. With her remaining hand inconveniently occupied with carrying Luna, she quickly deposited the feline onto another branch. Luna looked up at her questionably.**

**"You're a cat, you have claws, you can climb your own way down." Usagi looked innocently at Luna, a bright smile upon her face.**

**Luna grumbled the whole way down.**

* * *

**As the duo entered the park, Luna leapt forward a few paces effectively taking the lead as she followed obscure paths that twisted and turned. Usagi almost began to get dizzy from all the near-circles she was walking around in until she realized she had lost sight of Luna!**

**"Luna! Lunakins! Lunakins, where'd ya go?" Usagi grumbled under her breath for a few moments before trying the old-fashioned attempt. "Here, kitty kitty. Nice kitty, come on out now. Here kitty kitty." She kneeled down in her spot and held out her hand, twitching her fingers sporadically as she swept slowly in a half-circle before said 'kitty' jumped out at her. "AH!" she shrieked, jumping and falling on her rear.**

**Luna gave her a look before turning around, flicking her tail in the air with a companion of "Well, come on now, we haven't got all morning" tossed out. She strolled through an opening in the thick bushes, just big enough for Usagi to crawl through without damaging her clothes, which lead into a surprisingly vast secluded clearing. There were tight-knit trees surrounding all sides of the irregularly shaped area and thick bushes filling in every other space left open and vulnerable.**

**Turning back to look behind her Usagi almost didn't see the crawlspace she used, even though she was standing less than a foot away from it. She turned back to Luna with a dazzled expression.**

**"This is so COOL!" she squealed, bouncing from foot to foot with her hands clasped tightly around her forgotten locket.**

**Luna watched her energetic display for a few moments with amused tolerance, before shaking her head and saying firmly, "Enough of that now, Usagi. Time to get to work and practice the skills you are going to be needing one day."**

**Usagi heard the word 'work' and froze. She warily walked towards her solemn cat, squatted down, looked her in the eyes, and said, "Do I haveta?"**

**Luna's eye twitched for a moment before she crisply replied with an affirmative. She quickly set about her task to get in what she could while there was still time to do so. She briefly explained that around the grove were many image projectors that would give out realistic pictures of scary monsters. Although the monsters were not real and could currently do no harm, the greater level of training that was progressed to, the more solid the images would become (4) until she could perform at her best consistently.**

**"Now, Usagi, I need you to repeat this phrase after me: Moon Prism Power."**

**"That's it?"**

**"Yes, that's it."**

**"Are you sure?"**

**Twitch. "Yes, I'm sure. Just say the phrase, please."**

**"Okay! Moon Prism Power. There, happ-"**

**Usagi was cut off mid-word as the world around her burst into a rainbow of colors. Translucent ribbons burst out of the locket she held in her hand and flowed around her floating body, wrapping her in a cocoon of warmth and light. Her body relaxed, her mind too amazed by the sights and feelings to keep conscious control over her body's actions and reactions. Then the ribbons tightened around her, and a flash of panic erupted in her mind. She squeezed her eyes shut, scrunching up her nose and clenching her teeth and fists. And then everything was calm and silent again. Usagi blinked dazedly, then blinked again. She swayed from side to side for a moment before regaining her sense of balance and then turned to look at her smug feline mentor who was appraising her for some reason.**

**"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked curiously.**

**"I am checking the fit of your fuku."**

**"My fu-what?!"**

**"Fuku. The uniform that defines a Sailor Senshi (5)," she said calmly.**

**Usagi quickly glanced down at herself and gasped. Her CLOTHES!! They were GONE- and what in the world was she _wearing?!_ She could see the glint of her locket clasped securely to a big red bow on her chest, attached to a skin-tight white bodysuit like the ones gymnasts wear, and a _very_ short navy blue skirt gather at her hips to twirl around her upper thighs. A flash of something blue just below her chin made her grasp her neck, only to bring attention to the red-rimmed elbow length white gloves snug on her arms. A slight breeze dusted the hidden grove and ruffled the blue something, which turned out to be a V-styled sailor collar. A quick look behind her revealed a smaller red bow on the small of her back and a very short mini-cape that flowed from her collar. She shot a look at Luna and took two steps forward before stopping. Her footsteps felt funny. She looked down. On her feet were two glossy red knee-high boots with small half-inch heels.**

**Luna merely watched with a small twitch of her whiskers as Usagi inspected her new ensemble. When her ward looked back at her, walked forward, and then paused, she frowned.**

**"What's wrong, Usagi?"**

**Usagi glanced down, somehow managing to peer at Luna through her lashes while she dug one toe into the soft dirt.**

**"My shoes are too big."**

**Luna blinked once, before bursting out laughing, rolling onto her back as she curled around her stomach. It took her a few moments to collect herself, but when she finally regained control she simply said, "You'll grow into them, Usagi, you'll grow into them."**

**After that first awkward day, every day following began to take on a pattern: every weekend Usagi would wake up early and sneak off to the grove in the park for training sessions with Luna, then the two would hurry back home and slip back into their respective beds before her parents realized she was gone. During the summer days they followed this routine as well, except for the days when they knew her parents were going to wake her up early for some family outing. When school began, they tried going out at night but Usagi's fear of the dark and inability to stay awake for more than an hour after 9 PM ended the attempts. So they stuck to the weekend schedule.**

**Although Usagi was becoming quite adept at her offensive techniques, when it came to being in any sort of defensive mode which required dodging or flipping or ducking, Usagi…had a long way to go. Luna tried hard to think of some way to help her charge but it wasn't until she noticed the program Usagi was watching that the path was revealed.**

**Usagi had been unable to find the TV remote one evening and so - out of sheer boredom - sat down to watch the only channel that was on (she was too small to reach to manual buttons at the top of the TV). She slowly became engrossed in the fluid motions of the people on screen as the twirled and jumped and bent to the sound of music. It had been an hour since the program started and Usagi was still enthralled.**

**"Look, Luna, aren't they beautiful?" she whispered softly, her eyes wide and focused.**

**Luna sluggishly raised her head and turned to watch what captivated the child. And felt her eyes widen as inspiration struck.**

**_Of course! Gymnastics!! That's just what she needs._**

**"Usagi!" Luna hissed. "Usagi! Ask your parents for gymnastics lessons! It'll be fun, and it will help with your training!"**

**After several repetitive hisses Usagi finally caught on to what Luna was saying. She jumped out of her seat and ran around the house looking for her mother. She didn't yell though, aware of the fact that her mother may be resting and she might have to search for her father instead. However, upon finding both her parents sitting on the front porch she started bouncing up and down rapidly repeating her question.**

**"CanIjoingymnastics?CanIcanIcanI??" She stopped bouncing and turned her most influential puppy dog eyes on her parents. "Pleeaase??" She clasped her hands together for added affect.**

**Kenji and Ikuko looked at each other, bewildered by their daughter's sudden burst of energy so late in the evening. Smiling complacently, Iris turned to her impatiently waiting daughter and said softly, "Usagi-dear, could you try that one more time, but slower so we can understand what you're saying?"**

**Usagi nodded solemnly, and with exaggerated slowness repeated, "Can. I. Join. Gymnastics?" And then reverted tactics. "Please oh please oh please??"**

**Her parents looked at each other again, holding an entire conversation with their eyes and imperceptible squeezes of hands, until they looked back at their bouncing daughter. They smiled and nodded.**

**The following week Usagi was signed up and began her bi-weekly lessons. Although she was just a beginner, under the supervision and tutelage of her teachers and sometimes the more advanced older children she learned quickly and her skills improved.**

**And so time continued on in relative peace and routine. Usagi's skills in gymnastics improved over the months and with it her senshi training slowly advanced.**

**And then the news came.**

* * *

**(1) Um, just outta curiosity, but does Luna even _have_ lips? In the manga and anime all she had really were a few lines for her mouth.**

**(2) I know that the description following is incorrect according to the versions given in the manga and the anime since the locket only had four stones around the crescent moon, but this has a purpose for later in the story. Besides, not _everything _is going to be the same now.**

**(3) Can anyone tell me what stone represents whom? If anyone asks, I'll tell you either by email (if requested) or in the next chapter.**

**(4) I could have been more technical about the description of the training computer program, but I decided to lay it out as though Luna was actually explaining it to the seven year old girl. Basically, what it's saying is that the more her fighting skills increase, the more realistic and solid (harder) the 'monsters' she spars against will become - so it'll be as if she is fighting an actual monster, not just some floating coalesced light particles. Things will get more … sophisticated … as she gets older and understands better.**

**(5) I shouldn't be telling you this, but for anyone who reads these notes/hints thingies, this plays a BIG role in later chapters.  
--------------------------**

******AN:** I have this story's layout already planned, with certain scenes set for specific chapters. I also have the chapters split into several "parts" (Check out chapter one, for instance) so I may just cut this story into several "Books", so to speak. I don't know though. Tell me what you think please!! Oh, BTW, there's two more chapters left before Part One ends and Part Two starts, so please please please tell me, it's really important.

**And after several LONG months, I HAVE UPDATED!!! Further updates will probably be sparse though: school is starting for me in a few days, writer's block seems to be frequent concerning this fic (my Muse is ignoring me), and I'm focusing more on my other fic _Lady Robin Hood._ Which reminds me; I got ONE review for the latest chapter. ****ONE!!!** I'm a bit disappointed, but if that's all I get, then I'll make due with a smile.

**Until next chapter, or the next fic.**

**Kuroi**


	4. Lost or Hiding?

**Chasing the Moon**

**By Kuroi Koneo**

**AN: I AM ALIVE!!!!**

**Sorry for such a long delay, and THANK YOU to everyone who reviewed and emailed me. I would've been typing sooner and faster, but the end of my school year was coming up and that took a LOT of my time.**

**But I'm finished with High School... FOREVER!!! I have officially graduated, finished moving into my Mom's new house (I wish we hadn't moved, I LIKED our cozy li'l condo), started summer, and I'm not going to fuss around with my college prep stuff for a month. Dratted forms and scholarships...**

**Anyway, I had to reread my chapters to recapture my train of thoughts and whatnot. But I now have the time to write, so expect updates for my stories about once a week (I hope)!!  
**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Lost**

The settled routine of school, gymnastics class, and secret weekend training sessions continued on for several months without interruptions or many problems. School was coming to an end and summer vacation was just a few weeks away, and with it came Usagi's eighth birthday. Usagi's baby sibling, a healthy boy her parents named Shingo, was born two months before her birthday (1). With her brother's "arrival" her birthday party was a bit less... extravagant than what the girl had wished for. She didn't mind too much though, she was thrilled with having a little brother and her birthday all within a short period of time.

Her mother, having only recently come home from the hospital, had been restricted to bed rest for several weeks. The vast majority of her time was spent either caring for little Shingo, sleeping to recover her own strength, or doing little chores around the house to keep up her stamina and make herself feel useful. She deeply regretted not being able to spend much time with Usagi, constantly telling her daughter how much she loved her and spending as much time as she was able to with her young and energetic daughter.

Usagi was a bit disappointed that her mother couldn't spend the day with her, especially on her birthday, but her father promised to make it up to her by making it a Father-Daughter's day out on her birthday. He promised he'd use his camera only for fun-pictures and not work-pictures (2), and he took the day off from work too.

And so Kenji (3) took Usagi to the zoo for the day, treating her to ice cream, popcorn, peanuts, and the various other unhealthy foods being sold. Kenji cringed at what Ikuko would have to say when he got back, but looking at his daughter's bright eyes and delighted smile made him smile too thinking it was worth the awaiting lecture.

* * *

(That evening)

Kenji gently carried the sleeping Usagi into her room, standing by the bed as Ikuko turned down the covers so he could slip Usagi under the covers and then tucking the edges around her as she snuggled into their softness.

Ikuko stood looking over her daughter, her namesake evident as she wandered in her dreams, as Kenji came to stand beside her with his arm wrapped gently around her shoulders. Ikuko leaned her head against her husband's chest as a few tears escaped her clenched eyes. Kenji made soft murmurs into her hair, hoping to comfort her but to no avail.

"How are we going to tell her, Ken-koi (Ken-love)? She'll be devastated that we have to move – and so soon after her birthday, too! She'll be leaving behind all her friends, everything she knows!" Ikuko wailed softly, absently allowing Kenji to lead her from the room so as not to wake the sleeping child.

"Sh, sh, now. This is for the best – for all of us. It isn't as if she'll never come and visit, or keep out of touch. We'll make sure of that, I promise. There's always the snail-mail, or we can do the internet-thing, phone calls may be a bit scarce since it's long distance –" Ikuko chuckled softly through her tears and Kenji smiled, "but she won't forget her life here, or the people. We're moving onward to something new, dearest, not leaving something behind. I promise."

Ikuko looked intently at him for a few long moments, his expression earnest and sincere in her scrutiny.

She gave him a small smile and nodded.

* * *

"Usa-kins, honey, your father and I have something we need to tell you." Ikuko patiently buttoned up Usagi's raincoat before saying anything else.

Usagi stopped her impatient bouncing when she heard her mother's tone. It was the tone that said "there's-something-you-need-to-know-but-you're-not-going-to-like-it" tone. She knew it had to be really important, too, because her mother only uses "Usa-kins, honey" when she's done something wrong or it's something really important.

Usagi peered up at her mother through her bangs, her hands clasped behind her back, a booted-toe digging into the carpet. She chewed a bit on her lip before replying in the most "I'm-totally-innocent-so-whatever-it-is-I-didn't-do-it" voice possible.

"Yes, Mama?"

Ikuko smiled at her daughter's obvious attempts and reached out to gently tug on one of her pigtails to reassure her daughter it was nothing bad.

"Baby," Kenji took over. He took a breath to gather his courage; how hard to tell your child she has to leave what she knows behind! "Sweetheart, we're going to be moving somewhere new in a few weeks."

Usagi stared blankly at her parents, blinking as she tried to process the news that she'd had dropped on her.

"Mo...ving? What? Where? When? WHY?! We can't- my friends- what about – " she took in desperately needed breaths, pausing only for a moment. "We CAN'T!!"

"Now, Baby, it isn't that bad! I promise. You can still keep in touch with all your friends, we'll come and visit; I promise this isn't as bad as you make it seem, Sweetheart," Kenji said, forcing a more cheerful voice. His reassurances were ignored as Usagi began crying softly, repeating over and over 'we can't'.

Kenji could only kneel there in the doorframe looking helplessly at his wife as she gently rocked Usagi back and forth, the same helpless look reflected in her eyes as she looked up at him.

"Everything will be alright, Usa-kins, everything will be alright. I promise, I promise... Sshh sshh, now, it'll all be alright..."

Ikuko quietly closed the door to Usagi's room, making sure that the little rabbit sign declaring "Usagi's Room" didn't knock against the door as she pulled it shut. She lifted her head and faced her husband dejectedly, tears lingering in the corners of her eyes as she searched for the right words to say.

"We need this job, Ikuko," Kenji began. "The pay is better, I'll have better insurance for the both of you and little Shingo as well. We can get a bigger house for the four of us, Usagi will still be getting a good education – the schools in America are supposed to be very good (4). It'll be good for us."

Ikuko looked up at Kenji, searching his desperate eyes.

"I know, Ken-koi, I know. But it'll be hard for all of us to adjust. The language is so different from ours-"

"We'll have time to learn some basics; we'll pick it up as we go along. At least Usagi will be able to adjust better."

Ikuko sighed, closing her eyes tiredly.

"Yes. We'll adjust." She looked up with a small, forced smile. "We'll adjust."

* * *

(Several weeks later, nearing the end of summer. Moving day.) 

Usagi stood off to the side, arms crossed and pouting, as she watched the last of the boxes being carried into the truck that would ship them off to their new home across the world. She didn't have anything to do really, but suddenly remembered that Luna had been absent for quite some time now; she had been so busy sulking over her parents' decision that she had completely forgotten about her training and even about her cat. Ikuko and Kenji were so busy taking care of Shingo, the moving plans, the packing up, the required paperwork so the necessary people knew they'd moved, and trying to get Usagi to stop sulking that they too had forgotten about the self-sufficient feline. It was Usagi's sudden urge for a friendly ear and a purring cuddle that reminded her of her friend's absence, and with her mind made up with a decisive nod, Usagi set off the find her missing companion.

She didn't get very far at first, though.

"USAGI!" Kenji cried. "Where do you think you're going, young lady?" He marched over to her from his spot supervising the movers.

Usagi flinched slightly at her father's disapproving tone before putting on her most innocent "who me? I'm not doing anything" face. Kenji frowned harder.

"Papa, where's Luna? Isn't she moving with us? Where is she?" she asked childishly.

Kenji stopped abruptly, the reminder of the absent feline shocking him momentarily. _Where did that cat go?_ He wondered idly. He shook the thought off so he could focus on his daughter who stared up at him questioningly.

"Papa?"

He smiled at the girl before replying. "Well, that's a good question. I don't know where she is right now, Sweetheart-" he felt himself wince when he saw Usagi's eyes start to fill up with tears and her lower lip started quivering. He hurried on, "but I'm sure if we go look for her she can't be too far away from home right now..."

Usagi nodded happily, a big grin growing on her face as she and her father went hand in hand looking for Luna.

* * *

(Elsewhere...duh) 

Luna jumped quickly from panel to panel, rapidly scanning each screen before moving on to the next one.

"Come on, come on," she muttered impatiently, jumping off the panel she had been on to cross the room. Leaping onto another set of panels she paused to look down at the buttons before her. "Let's see, now," she stepped to the right, pressing a blue button, "...then..." she quickly hit the red button on the left before rapidly switching back over to the blue button. The screen flashed a list of numbers at her before they suddenly froze.

GAME OVER...GAME OVER...GAME OV- 

"YES I KNOW!" Luna screeched at the blinking words that mocked her, "just give me the darn listing already!"

As if startled by the cat's outburst, the words stopped blinking and the demanded list popped up.

_Please enter password._

Luna bounced on several of the console keys. _Left red, left blue, left blue, right green, middle red, middle blue, left green,_ she thought to herself.

"_Welcome. Please enter voice activation code,"_ a mechanical voice drifted from the game set.

"Agent Kitty One."

"_Pass code, please."_

"Dogs may be mans' best friend, but Cats are mans' owners."

There were a few long moments where the silence was punctured only by Luna's soft breathing and the stop-and-go buzzings as the machine analyzed the given data.

"_Thank you. Welcome back to Base, Agent Kitty One."_

"Finally," Luna mumbled under her breath. She took a moment to settle her ruffled fur with a quick full-body shake before gracefully leaping off the console into the small passageway revealed behind the game screen. "Computer, please contact Control Center. Request files on possible Senshi candidates in Tokyo."

"_One moment, please."_ There was a soft humming as the A.I. system followed the cat's request. _"Shall I report them, Agent One, or would you prefer to view the list on a console?"_

Luna paused a moment to consider.

"Report, please." Another soft hum.

"Very well. Control Center reports no new signs of any unusual auras in the Tokyo vicinity. A suspicious spike was recorded momentarily several days ago; further investigations returned a negative on Senshi compatibility-"

"What was the cause of the spike?" Luna interrupted.

"_Control reports indicate –" _the A.I. paused to access the information, _"– that the spike was caused by an old Shinto priest. He was apparently setting up protection wards and unwittingly stumbled upon an energy hotspot. There was no reaction from the man, but hotspot was temporarily tapped into which authenticated the protection wards."_

"What of the energy site?"

"Reports say that the energy site is now within the wards' protected area. The wards have been keeping various low-level youmas (5) at bay. They have apparently given up on scouting the area."

Luna sat back on her haunches as she contemplated this information. "Hmmm... Thank you. So there was a negative Senshi compatibility, you said?"

"Correct. Control said there was a young child there, but investigation didn't get very far: apparently, she was only there for a short time. Scouters reported that she showed no signs of a Senshi aura."

"I see. Very well then. Does Control Center have any new orders for me?"

There was again the faint humming sound as the A.I. scanned the downloaded information for orders while Luna sat patiently in silence. The humming slowly died down until there was only the silence, broken occasionally by the soft _swish_-ing sound of Luna's twitching tail. Luna's tail began to twitch more frequently as the silence lengthened. Her ears began to twitch next, keeping a counter-rhythm to her flicking tail. Then...

"COMPUTER!"

"_YES?!"_ The A.I. sounded startled. _"Yes, Agent One?"_ it continued more calmly.

Luna's body twitched once. "Are there any new orders?" she grounded out.

"No."

Luna let out a deep breath. She got up and headed towards a tunnel opposite the one she came in through.

"Then that's all for today. Please open the alleyway exit. The Arcade has been opened." A door about 2 feet square opened up in front of the waiting feline. "Good day, Computer."

"Good day, Agent One."

Luna walked out into the secluded alley, the silent closing of the door behind her acknowledged with a soft breeze from behind her.

* * *

Usagi and Kenji began their search around the house, then expanded it to the rest of the quiet neighborhood. Kenji would knock on neighbors' doors while Usagi asked whether anyone had seen her cat. Each time they would receive a negative answer, and each time Usagi grew more despondent.

Kenji looked over at his quiet and bounce-less daughter, frowning when he heard her sigh yet again.

"Chin up, Usagi. Luna's bound to turn up soon. She probably wanted to go explore her new territory; speaking of which, why don't why try town? She may have wandered through there."

Usagi lifted her head to meet her father's encouraging gaze and nodded. _We WILL find Lunakins,_ she thought determinedly. She grasped her father's hand and the two walked into bustling crowds of town.

* * *

Luna was calmly walking along the sidewalk, dodging in and out of people's way every-so-often to avoid being stepped on, when she suddenly stopped. Her fur began to stand on end, slowly rising until she could feel every strand moving involuntarily. A rush of hot air blew past her, forcing her off her feet and off the sidewalk. Her body reacted automatically, twisting itself in midair until she landed feet first on the ground. Luna froze a moment, something around her feeling off again, a different kind of danger than what she previously thought she sensed.

And then her ears perked up as she heard her name being called by a familiar childish voice.

"LUNAKINS!! LUNAKINS! where are you?!" her young ward cried.

"Luna!! Luna!! Here kitty!" shouted Kenji.

Luna cocked her head to the side, momentarily wondering why they were so frantically searching for her. She nearly hit herself as she remembered that she had been doing side-missions for close to two months now and her absence was bound to be noticed eventually. She gave a loud meow, the best she could manage to be heard over sounds of the city. She jumped onto a car-hood and then balanced on a parking meter, meowing as though she were serenading the passersby.

* * *

Usagi was searching everywhere she could find: she looked in the alleys (which her father determinedly dragged her out of), she looked in windows, she looked under cars, behind trash cans, _in_ trash cans and _under_ them, anywhere she could imagine. She continually walked up to people walking along the sidewalk and asked if they had seen her cat anywhere; all she received were sympathetic glances and negative answers. No one had seen a black cat anywhere.

It was like Luna had fallen off the face of the earth.

Then she heard it, faintly, but it was there. A very familiar wailing sound...

"LUNA!!" Usagi shouted gleefully when she spotted her black feline companion balanced precariously on an expired parking meter. She quickly dodged her way in and out of people's legs to get to the noisy cat.

Kenji, hearing his daughter's calling abruptly change in tone, spun around just in time to see the little Usagi bounce away towards the street. Worried she was going to cross the busy road he quickly darted after her, only realizing that the missing pet was in plain view on the same side of the road when he caught up to Usagi.

Just as the two were a handful of paces away from reaching Luna, a harsh wind suddenly blew out of nowhere and the wobbly cat's claws lost their fragile grip and blew off the parking meter –

- and right into the busy road.

There was a loud screech, followed by a car's frantic honking. Tires squealed as the vehicle frantically tried to avoid hitting the disoriented animal weaving in front of it, but it was far too close, and far too late to stop in type.

There was an inaudible _thump_ covered by screeching tires and a child's distraught screaming.

And nobody noticed the darting shadow.

* * *

Luna had the uncomfortable sense of weightlessness, the feeling distorted her equilibrium and she could not tell up from down. So it came as a rather painful surprise when she felt something slam into her side causing her to roll-slide along the unforgiving pavement. 

She could hear a screeching sound in her sensitive ears and desperately tried to cover them to block out the sound but found her paws would not respond as she wished. In fact, she found she couldn't even feel her body, and that unnerved her more than her sudden loss of hearing.

And then she felt her side being hit again; it was an odd sensation since she couldn't feel the what was pushing against her but she could feel the pressure of it, the force of it knocking the air out of her lungs.

She could feel that weightless sensation again, feel herself slamming back down onto the immovable ground, rolling over and over again.

And then the world became a blurry mess of colors before falling peacefully black.

* * *

Usagi had screamed only once, after the truck had been unable to stop and the mangled body of a red-spattered cat was seen lying half under the wheels, she had screamed. 

And she hadn't made so much as a single sniff since.

Kenji had quickly gathered up his immobile daughter and carried her home, away from the tragic accident. He had paused only to inform the driver, who was out-of-sorts about hitting the "poor animal", that he was the owner and if he would kindly call a vet so the remains could be properly taken care of? He also gave the driver his cell phone number so it could be passed onto the vet and he would be contacted when the cat had been collected. Everyone looked on with sympathetic and mildly understanding eyes when he motioned to his wide-eyed and slack-jawed daughter.

The day, which had began as a hectic but supposed-to-be-exciting day, had somehow turned into a horrible, horrible day.

* * *

(1) **EDIT **Please assume that at Usagi's 7th birthday (June 29 or 30) Ikuko was 4 weeks pregnant. Assuming my math isn't off, 8 months after that would make it the end of February/early March. In 3 or 4 months after that it will be Usagi's 8th birthday 

(2) I honestly can't recall what Kenji did for a living, but I'm making him a photographer for my fic. This has a dual purpose in my story, obviously.

(3) I didn't like how I had 'Iris' and 'Kevin' for her parents' names, so I've changed them to the original versions, which I've also corrected in the other chapters. If this bothers anyone, let me know I'll change it back.

(4) Okay, I know it's lame sending them to America. But hey, I live here and it's familiar territory. And if you're LUCKY, you can get a good education in some of the schools. It mostly depends on the other students you have to put up with to get it. The colleges and Universities are supposed to be good though. Usagi can also pick up the attitude I want her to have later on in America, where anywhere else it might be more difficult for me since I'm unfamiliar with the lifestyles/cultures.

(5) I'm using "youmas" (correct me if that's spelled wrong, please) because my idea(s) of demons don't fit what the...creatures the senshi fight are. And it's more accurate too, I think, since isn't that what they're originally called?

* * *

**I happen to be fond of using the Japanese language mixed with my English, but I am not at all fluent or adept at it. Most of the words I pick up from other fanfics, my brother (who's self-teaching himself), or from various websites I browse through. If there's anything wrong with my usage, please TELL ME so I can correct it.**


	5. Alone

**Chasing the Moon**

**By Kuroi Koneko**

**Chapter 5: reviewers:**

**SJ-** lol. Are you sure I hit Luna?? And I can't answer that question, I'd give something away! **Kail Ceannai-** I'm glad you liked it! I know about the "determining gender" thing, my stepmom was pregnant only give years ago (gah! I feel old now…) but since this a fanfiction, I can do whatever, right? Besides, now that you mention it, when I went back and checked through my chapters I think I screwed up the times and stuff. I'll have to go back one day and fix that. So thank you!! **Sailor Phoenix-** I'm glad you think this is interesting, I hope you like this chapter too! **Emmastarz-** thank you!! **Elementalmoon- **OMG!! You put me on your author watch list!! Thank you so much!!!! glompsqueeze I'm so happy!! Anyway, you're supposed to be confused! That's why you come back and read more, to hopefully be unconfused. Does that make sense? **Li-chan-** Glad I surprised you! And I haven't gotten a mob of angry readers for that Luna scene, so I guess people are keeping they're fingers crossed or something. Thank you for thinking so highly of my storyline, I'm hoping it's more original than some of the similar ones out there. reviewers:

**moongoddes86- **thank you for the compliment; I'd post more often if I could, but since I'm a college student, it's a bit difficult. I'll do my best though! **Akira139-** thank you too!

I hope you both like where I take this story (although I wonder if I even know where it's going sometimes, despite having it already planned and outlined!). Enjoy this chapter you two!

* * *

**Chapter 5: Alone**

_It was dark. I could hear the faint screaming of…. someone. A load roar filled my ears, drowning out the heartbreaking screaming, and for some reason that made me upset. I wanted to hear that voice, even if it was screaming._

_And then everything hurt. And then even the darkness faded away until I knew nothing._

Usagi hadn't been taking the loss of Luna well. Three hours after the accident - Kenji after buckled her into the car, told his wife about what happened, and finally getting the rest of his family into the car and to the airport – and she was still dead silent and unresponsive.

While waiting for the announcement to board the plane, Ikuko had taken to glancing over periodically and frowning worriedly at her abnormal behavior. It was understandable that Usagi would be upset over the loss of a pet – even more so at having seen the poor animal's demise – but this seemed quite extreme to Ikuko.

"I know!" she suddenly exclaimed. "Usagi, how about we get another pet? I know nothing can ever replace Luna," she added quickly, "but it will help you move on, don't you think, Kenji?" She looked to her husband, pleading for his assistance.

"Uh… Yes! Yes, what a wonderful idea!" he forced out cheerfully. "What do you think, Usagi?"

Usagi remained quiet, staring ahead without seeing anything in front of her, and unheeding of her parents' attempts to cheer her up.

Ikuko and Kenji looked worriedly at one another, and Ikuko unconsciously started to bounce the sleeping Sammy more forcefully on her lap which woke him up in a grumpy state. She was relieved at the excuse to keep her occupied with something other than her daughter's unnerving silence.

_She's gone… she's really gone… LUNA! Don't leave me alone! Please! I need you!! LUNA!!!_

Over and over, that scene keeps playing in my head. I can't stop it, can't ignore it; my best friend died and I couldn't do anything to stop it. I can feel my heart breaking, just a little bit more each time I watch it happen over and over. I grip the broach she gave me tightly, my fingers going numb as I squeezed it harder, hidden inside my pocket.

_What's the point in being a superhero, if I can't protect the ones I care for? Why couldn't I protect my Lunakins?! It's not fair! Not fair, not fair!_

I hear my parents talking, telling me nothing could be done; that I'll get over it. I don't want another pet; it will NEVER be like Luna, could never come close to replacing her. There's no other creature in the world like Luna… none…

My fingers loosen around my only evidence of her, and I hate it.

The announcement for all passengers to board the plane for flight 703 to America came, and the Tsukino's slowly gathered their carry-on bags and the still silent Usagi, brought out their tickets for the stewardess and found their seats on the plane. They settled in as best they could. Kenji and Ikuko prayed that a change of scenery and a new life would help their daughter snap out of her shock.

And as they watched Usagi finally fall asleep from the day's trauma combined with the late hour, they prayed her dreams be kind and innocent.

(Several weeks later. America.)

"Good! Very good, Bunny! Your English has improved tremendously these last few days. I'm amazed at how quickly you grasped the language!"

"Tre…mend..ously? What does this mean?" Usagi asked, in slow but understandable English.

"'Tremendously' means 'greatly, vastly, impressively'. It's a good thing, in this case. It means that I, and your parents, are very proud of how well you are doing," her tutor replied. She gave a bright smile at the young girl's question. Although she was genuinely pleased at how well the girl was progressing in her language studies, she was also greatly pleased at how well the girl's progress would look on her own transcripts. "Well, that's all for today's lessons, Bunny," she said after a quick glance at the clock revealed they had spent two extra hours at the lesson today. "I'll see you the day after next, since I can't make tomorrow's session, okay?"

Usagi nodded politely, her response a quiet acknowledgement as she got up to walk the older teen to the door. After saying goodbye to her tutor she quickly located the note her parents had left her earlier that morning. She slowly read over the English words, making sure she understood them properly.

_Usagi _–

_Your mother and I have gone out for a few hours._

_We should be home around 3 this afternoon, about_

_the same time your lessons end. Be the good girl_

_we know you are._

_We love you._

_- Otou (Dad) and Okaa (Mom)_

A glance at the neon numbers on the oven showed that her lesson, having been a few hours earlier than normal, had given her an unexpected 2 hours to herself. Now what was an seven-year-old girl supposed to do…?

Usagi quickly ran up the stairs to her room, turning on the radio to any station so she wouldn't sit in silence. She was slowly returning to her normal self; the change was very gradual though, a few smiles and laughs every now-and-then a testament to how deeply affected she was by Luna's death. But she was getting better.

She had asked to be enrolled in the nearest gymnastics class and her parents agreed, thinking it would be best for her to make new friends as soon as possible to better adjust yet still keep some form of familiarity in her life. Usagi wanted it because it reminded her of her purpose, and the promise she had made to Luna to do her best.

And she was grateful. The gymnastics classes kept her physically occupied, often exhausting her to the point where she would be dreamless, unplagued by the recurring dreams she still occasionally had of Luna's last moments. The English tutoring sessions kept her mind busy and the rest of her time occupied with learning the new language of the land she now lived in.

She was growing up far faster than an eight-year-old was expected to, but only she knew why she had to grow up so rapidly.

She dug through her drawer, shoving articles of clothing roughly to the side, some pieces falling to the floor from the force of the shove, some tangled with other pieces. She dug to the bottom of the drawer finally coming upon what she sought after. It was a pretty trinket to look at, but not something one expected to find in the possession of an eight-year-old girl, especially since the pretty trinket had some precious and semi-precious stones embedded into it.

Usagi cradled the broach in her hands carefully, as though it were the most fragile piece of glass she held instead of a magic-endowing device. She hadn't transformed since her last training session with Luna several months ago.

_I wonder if it will still work, now that Luna…_ Usagi still couldn't finish the thought. She raised the broach in the air above her, closing her eyes and whispering the words her friend and trainer had given her.

"Moon Prism Power."

She felt the familiar rush of warmth surrounding her, the slight whisper of ribbons whisking through the air before settling around her, and then a bright flash of light, clearly visible to her even through her still-closed eyes, which signaled the end of her transformation.

She opened her eyes and gazed into the mirror on the opposite wall from her. She absently tapped her boot-toe on the floor, trying to get the boots to fit more comfortably. Scrutinizing her appearance carefully, she nodded to no one after a few moments.

"Alright then. I promise you Luna, I'll make you proud of me." She carefully climbed out her window and down the tree outside the room she demanded to have. Quickly grabbing an alarm clock she rushed off to the nearest park she found to practice what little Luna had managed to teach her, adding in the newest gymnastic moves she learned in class. When the alarm went off, ringing its warning to get home quickly or be caught and in BIG trouble, she grabbed the clock – shutting it off, of course – and raced back home in an indistinguishable blur of red, white and gold.

And so she set the routine she would follow rigorously…

* * *

**And that's it for Part One!! This was mainly just to wrap up her childhood and her "early awakening". I know it's short, but I hope that future chapters will be longer. They might take a while to get out, I'm in college now after all, but I haven't forgotten the stories I'm writing, and I WILL finish ALL of them. I will NEVER post something and not finish it.**

**Next chapter: Chapter Six – A New Town**

**And so things move on!!**

**Don't forget to review please!! Reviews keep me on a high that motivates me to write more for you!!**


	6. A New Life

**Chasing the Moon**

**by Kuroi Koneko**

**Part Two: Wandering**

**A.N. – Ok, I totally HATED how chapter 6 was, especially since I had lost my "outline" plans. But since I found it again (HURRAY!!!) a LOT of my writer's block has cleared up and I can get back to writing this how I meant to write it. Which means, an altered (and better) Chapter 6! **The previous Chapter 6 was totally screwed up and threw me off course. This takes place a few months after Usagi and her family has moved. They're reasonably settled in, it's the end summertime for America so school will be starting up soon (next chapter). And for those of you confused about Eos (Ozzy) you'll sorta get to meet her here. More on her in the next chapter though.

* * *

**Chapter Six: A New Life**

_A girl entered the gymnasium, her black and white leotard emphasizing how small a figure the 8-year-old girl had. Her class hadn't started yet, but she was early, so she sat on the sidelines of the practice floor to watch the older and more experienced girls perform while she stretched. Her eyes followed the nimble leaps and tumbles and poses the girls performed, eagerly locking the movements into memory to emulate in her own free time._

_The older girls finished their routines and cleared off the floor to allow the younger classes to congregate and begin their own practices. The girl gathered around her teacher with the rest of her class and they all began stretching again. Shortly after, a young blonde walked onto the floor and went up to the teacher. She bowed a little to the teacher before talking quietly with her. Rachel, the teacher, pointed over to the girl and the blonde walked over before plopping onto the floor and beginning to stretch._

"_Hi," the blonde said. "I'm Usagi, but you can call me Bunny..."_

_The girl blinked at Usagi a moment. She tilted her head as though trying to find the best angle to see Usagi at. Apparently satisfied with whatever she was looking for, the girl replied. "Why Bunny? "_

_"My parents call me that 'cause of my hair."_

"_Ah. Well, I'm Lana. Nice to meet you, Bunny. You're new here, aren't you?"_

"_Yeah," Usagi giggled. "I moved here from Japan over the summer."_

"_Wow, Japan! That's really cool!" Lana said in awe._

"_I suppose so."_

"_Alright everyone, let's start with our floor exercises!" Rachel yelled, getting everyone's attention._

"Bunny!"

Usagi jumped and almost tripped over her feet. Lana laughed a little at her daydreaming friend. "Earth to Bunny, it's time to go now. Come in, Bunny!"

"Sorry, what?"

Lana laughed again at Usagi's blank expression. "It's time to go, Bunny. Class is over, we can go home now."

"Oh!" Usagi's face lit up. "Hehe, sorry, did Miss Rachel say anything about next week's class?"

"No, nothing but the usual anyway. You wanna come over today? I think Momma is making spaghetti for dinner tonight. Wait, do you have your English lesson today?"

"No, I finished those last week. She said that since I was ... sozi... soshi... soshaliting! With others now that I wouldn't really need them. And I'd like to come over, but I have to ask my parents first."

"Okay, cool," Lana shrugged. "Well, we can both ask our parents when they come to pick us up."

"Sounds good to me!" Usagi said with a big grin. "Oh, hey! How's your cat doing? Is she feeling any better?"

Lana looked slightly startled at the topic, but quickly put on her usual cheerful grin.

"Oh yeah! Much better. She finally stopped that weird coughing noise. We took 'er to the vets yesterday and he said that another week of the pills and she'll be all better. I'm so happy! It's no fun when she gets sick. She's grouchy."

Usagi forced out a laugh. "Yeah, no fun…"

Lana noticed the distant look in Usagi's eyes every time they talked about her cat. Finally, curiosity overcoming her, she asked about the look.

"Hey, Usa (1)…"

"Yeah, Lana?"

"Um, you don't have to answer, but, uh… whenever you ask about Ozzy, you always get this funny look on your face. Like you're all sad-"

"Oh no, I'm no-"

"Yes you are! I can see it. Do you not like cats or something?"

Usagi was quiet for a moment as the two walked over to their cubbies and put on their socks and shoes. Plopping down on the floor, Usagi sighed as she answered quietly.

"I used to have a cat. I named her Luna. She was a birthday present and I loved her very much."

"What happened to her?" Lana asked as Usagi fell silent.

Usagi took a deep breath. "The day we were moving, she disappeared. Daddy and I went looking for her… and she…" she sniffled a little, trying to hold back the tears. "I saw her across the street. I called her name, and she started to cross. But this truck was coming, and… and she… the truck wouldn't… Luna…!"

Lana got the general idea as Usagi started sobbing. She gave the other girl a hug, trying to calm her down before anyone thought something bad had happened to her, whispering apologies and reassurances into her hair. Usagi seemed to quiet down after being hugged because her sobbing subsided into sniffles with a few trickling tears. Those too eventually faded and Usagi composed herself back to her happy-smiles self.

"I'm sorry, it's just that I still miss her. I didn't…"

"Hey, it's okay, Usa. I understand. I'd feel the same way if something like that happened to my Ozzy." Lana gave Usagi a small smile as she stood up, holding out her hand. "Now c'mon, I think I see our parents. Unless you don't wanna come over anymore?"

"I want to, I want to! If only to see this cat you always talk about," Usagi laughed a bit. She took Lana's hand and stood up. The two walked hand-in-hand to the door, putting on identical innocent-pleading faces as they walked to their respective parents before bombarding them with questions and pleas.

* * *

(at Lana's) 

"Thank you very much for dinner, Mrs. Dimakis," Usagi said politely as she bowed to Lana's mother out of habit.

Mrs. Dimakis beamed with pleasure as she gathered up the dirty plates. "Oh, it was a pleasure, Bunny. Lana, why don't the two of you go play upstairs?"

"Ok, Momma," Lana chirped. She grabbed Usagi's hand and began leading her to her room. "C'mon, Bunny, you can meet Ozzy now!"

"Go easy on the cat, dear! You know she's still not completely up to your roughing yet!" Mrs. Dimakis called out from the kitchen.

"Yes, Momma!" Lana called back.

Lana scampered up the stairs, Usagi hurrying behind her, and skipped into her room where she presented the sleeping cat on her bed with a ridiculous flourish and a bright "ta da!"

Ozzy, a golden cat with a rosy sheen to her fur, lazily opened one eye at the loud noise Lana made. Seeing a stranger entering the room as well, she lifted her head to focus both eyes on the newcomer.

Oh my! There's something… this one is like… she's like Sol! I wonder if… 

"Oh wow! She's so pretty! And the little moon on her forehead!" Usagi exclaimed as she bounded over to take a closer look at the curled feline, completely missing Lana's look of shock. "Where did you get her from?"

Lana cleared her throat nervously. "Oh, she, uh, she was a stray. So I guess, uh, you could say she found me."

Usagi, still enthralled by the cat's unique colors, reached out a hand for Ozzy to examine. Ozzy took a brief sniff at the proffered hand before butting her head against Usagi's palm, demanding an ear scratch which Usagi happily complied to.

"She's amazing, Lana! You're so lucky…"

* * *

"Sol." 

"Yes?"

"That girl you brought today…"

"Bunny? What about her? Wait! Don't tell me you think she's a bad guy. C'mon, Eos! She's _my_ age, she couldn't possi-"

"I think she's like you."

Silence.

"Like... me? Eos, I don't understand…"

"Her aura, Sol. Her aura is like yours. _Very_ much like yours. It's… surprising how similar they are. I think…"

"Think what? You aren't making sense, Eos."

"I think she may be one of the Senshi. But I don't sense a planet from her. It's more of a star-sense, like yours."

"Like mine? You mean there are other Stars?"

"There are most certainly other Stars, just not from here. Don't worry about it, little one. Go to sleep now. You start school tomorrow, don't you?"

"Oh, Ozzy! Why'd you have to remind me?!"

"You'd be reminded sooner or later. Now go to bed."

A sigh. "Goodnight, Ozzy."

* * *

(1) Ok, I know that speaking-wise, I'm using Bunny. I want to point out that her name IS Usagi, and that Lana uses that when she wants to be serious or comforting. K?

* * *

I like this MUCH better! How about the rest of you? Thank you so much for those of you who had reviewed the previous version of Chapter 6, I appreciate all your comments so very much! They get my fingers twitching to write! 

_Now for the reviewer replies!!_

**Didaskaleinophobia – **I'm glad you liked the teaser, hope you enjoyed the actual chapter this time.

**Neonlights – **Hey! I haven't gotten a single harassment from you since you reviewed. Hope you haven't fallen off! You're not annoyed with me, are you? pout and thanx for the advice, about adding more surrounding description. I'll definitely keep that in mind.

**SerenityChild – **lol, sorry about confusing you. I'm quite pleased to hear that you're attached to this story. Hehe, you know, you reviewed on my birthday! That made me extra happy. Sorry for taking so long.

**Miyoko5800 – **Miyoko-chan! Have you checked my list recently? You're up at the top now! I'm trying to get to _Lady Robin Hood_, but I'm having such issues with it now… it just doesn't want to cooperate with me. How's senior year going for you? Any replies yet? Let me know!

**Sailor Phoenix – **glad you like it. I know this isn't one of my better chapters, but does it pass?

**Elementalmoon – **thank you so much for the offer! Careful, I may take you up on it one day when I've become desperate.

**Jennyroseangel – **thank you!

**Momocolady – **thank you!

**Sorro's Angel - ** LOL, I got such a kick reading your review. I read over again because it's fun. Of course, I can't answer your questions, that'd give too much away! I hope this chapter gives you a few ideas on how to answer them though. Cheesy romance novels and spy books, eh? Not much for spy books, but a friend of mine got a cheesy romance novel as a gag, so I might borrow that.

**SJ – **confused, eh? Good! Here's a hint, if it helps: Neptuneyes, Uranusno (although I think I listed the senshi present).

**Silver Moonlight-81 - **thank you!

**Nazi Hater –** I absolutely LOVE getting your reviews, thank you so much! Not gonna answer your questions 'cause that'd be giving away info that's just a little to… revealing. It'll all come together in time (I hope!). Until then, enjoy!

**Night-Owl123 – **I'm not sure how soon I'll be updating, but I'll try my best to write more often!

**Crys** – wow! This is the "most interesting story" you've read in a long time?! I'm so flattered! I hope you're still interested in it. I know updates might be a bit slow 'cause of my college work, but I WILL finish this! If you like this, you can try looking at my other story _Lady Robin Hood_ and tell me if that's as interesting.

**SKY UNICORN – **thank you!

**dajare** – love the name! Yeah.. I kinda noticed my error after the fact. I'm definitely going to go back and change it one day (especially the "Molly" part… that's just weird for me to type 'cause that's my name). As for "Samuel"… um.. think of it as a middle name. I'm definitely changing that too, since things are a bit muddle where names are concerned. I didn't put in a lot of thought since they're not gonna be in the story for much longer…. Sh!

**sleepy26** – thank you!

**Kail Ceannai** – thanks for the input. I know it's impossible to determine a baby's gender so early in a pregnancy, but just pretend…


	7. The Promise

**Chasing the Moon**

**By Kuroi Koneko**

**AN – I'm sorry for taking so long everyone! Thank you to everyone who still review and waits patiently. I had this written out and then the program closed on me (with some weird reason why I couldn't use it anymore) and lost all that I had written! GAH! So this isn't quite what I had wanted but it works.**

**I had also updated my user profile, but that seems to have been a bust… Anyway, I'm revising my story outline since this story decided it wants to head in a slightly different direction than I intended, but that's okay 'cause … well, I don't have much choice, do I?**

**Everyone who reviewed, your reviews mean a LOT to me, 'cause they make me want to write. Review or email, it gets me writing! If you can't see my email and would like it, leave a note in a review and I'll put it up next chapter.**

**Now on to the chapter, before this gets any longer. More at the end.**

* * *

**Chapter Seven: The Promise**

The next morning, Usagi and Lana found out, much to their happy surprise, that they rode the same bus to school despite living a ways apart from one another. Usagi was most grateful for knowing a friendly face on the bus – despite having said-friendly face jump up and down in her seat, waving her hands and yelling like a madman – because the majority of seats were already occupied with chatting children. Lana had fortunately been sitting in an empty three-seater, and with Usagi's stop being the last on the route, the duo had room to spare and sprawl out in.

"Oh! Oh! This is so great! I'm so glad we've got the same bus!" Lana bounced up and down in her seat. "We can talk in the morning, and go to each other's house in the afternoon, and we might even have the same class! That would be SOOO cool!" she squealed excitedly.

Usagi laughed at her friend's antics, but couldn't refrain from bouncing up and down herself in the presence of Lana's infectious excitement.

"That would be even better 'cause then I'll already know someone in class too! You know, I wasn't really looking forward to a new school, but now I can't wait!"

"Oh me too! Me too! I hope we do have the same class! That would be perfect!"

The bus pulled up to the elementary school and the girls' conversation was cut short as the two wrestled to get in line to exit the bus and enter the school. (And because I'm a lazy bitch and don't want to recreate elementary school-life, I'm skipping most of the day.)

Lunchtime rolled around sooner than expected, although their stomachs complained about getting food some time after making their demands. Standing in line for their food they chatted about classes and the misery of not sharing the same classes, their teachers and fellow students, and – as they came upon it – the cafeteria food. After buying what seemed like the most appetizing – not to mention edible – food they could find and afford, the two began searching for an empty seat in the largely crowded lunchroom, still talking about anything that came to mind. It seemed as though they had just sat down and barely taken a bite of their food before the bell rang again, signaling the end of lunch, but their trays were empty and their stomachs full.

The end of the first day of school ended sooner than either of the girls anticipated, but they eagerly boarded their bus.

They made plans to play after their gymnastics class, so they had time to plead with and beg their parents before practice.

Their first day of school set the precedent for what just about every day afterwards would be like: school, home, gymnastics, playing at one of the houses, home and dinner, then bed.

Well, that's what their parents knew about anyway.

* * *

Usagi woke up to the odd sensation of her pillow rumbling and shaking. Groggily, she stuck her hand under her pillow and turned off her secondary alarm clock and pulled herself out of bed. She stretched her arms over her head and yawned, then shook her head and carefully wobbled out the door and to the bathroom.

She was more awake after splashing some cold water on her face, and stood for a moment just looking at her reflection. She held up her locket and just looked at it, the different gems flashing in the bathroom light, and lightly traced the crescent moon outline. Her eyes tearing as she remembered doing the same to Luna's, she chokingly whispered,

"For you, Lunakins. I promise."

She wiped her eyes dry, flushed the toilet, flicked off the light, and quietly slipped back into her room.

After waiting to make sure all was safe to go, Usagi carefully slipped down from her windowsill, grateful that she managed to get the room with a convenient tree outside and within reach. She grasped onto the sturdy branch next to her, crouched down on the limb, and slowly made her way around the tree until she had the house on one side and the road on the other before continuing downward.

She landed lightly on her feet, took a furtive glance around to check she hadn't been spotted, and quickly dashed out of the dark yard and across the street with more speed than a 9 year old should possess. She continued running until she reached the park/playground that she had spotted on her way home from her first gymnastics class. She was gratefully it was reasonably close by, although wary about the relatively small size – and therefore lacking the necessary privacy – of it.

Shrugging to no one, she told herself she'd make do with what she could get. She carefully wandered around the park, searching for areas that were less traveled and more out-of-the-way before coming across a clearing much like the one back home. To one side of the park was a dense line of trees, lacking any of the installed night-lights the majority of the park contained, while the other side of the park appeared to be more used for large groups. Usagi quickly headed in the direction of the trees. She walked as quietly as she could, attempting to train her feet to be light and silent, when she stepped into an abandoned animal hole (den?) and tripped right into a tree.

Or rather, right _through_ a tree.

And into a previously undisturbed clearing completely hidden from sight on the other side. Usagi was so startled that she just sat back and stared around blankly before snapping back to look behind her. And there, gaping from the back of the tree, was a large dark hole. And in what appeared to be the center of it was a small gray light. Scampering back to the tree for a better look, Usagi hesitantly put her hand up and into the inky shadow. Her hand slid right through, but still remained visible, and so she crawled in. And found herself stuck in the hole in the tree. She crawled backwards instead only to have her head roughly yanked to the side. She brought her hands up and, suppressing her whimpers of discomfort, followed her hair to what kept it captive – the rough interior of the tree-hole. Carefully detaching her hair with as little damage as possible (although sorely tempted to just yank the stubborn strands free) she slid back into clearing and came to a decision.

"This is perfect." She nodded once. "Alright, here we go! Moon Prism Power!

Ribbons of light danced around as her transformation began and tightened into her senshi fuku as it finished. She tapped the toe of her boots into the ground, tried to pull her skirt down an inch or two, and then walked from one side of the clearing to the other.

Her sight less-hindered by the dark now that she was transformed, she noticed that the clearing was larger than she had thought. It looked to be about the same size as her gymnastics building! Usagi was surprised that a clearing this large was completely untouched, especially in such a small park, but the large ring of tightly packed trees must have influenced the solitude of the area.

Shrugging off the questions she didn't know how to begin to answer, Usagi quickly launched into a replica of a routine she saw one of the older girls perform a few days ago. Her timing was off, however, because she had nothing to help with the changing beat that the routing required.

Which is why she landed on her butt a minute into it.

She didn't have time to rub the ache out of her bruising-bottom, though, because a dual laugh rang out into the clearing.

Usagi quickly jumped to her feet and scanned the area around her but could see nothing unusual. An unfamiliar voice rang out to her.

"Not bad, child, but who are you and why are you trespassing in our territory?"

Usagi scowled. "Why don't you show yourself instead of cowering in the shadows?"

"My my, isn't she a brave one?" A smile in the dark. "Very well then, come dear, lets introduce ourselves."

A sleek cat bounded out of the shadows of the tree-hole (1) and stopped a few yards away from Usagi, daintily sitting on her hind legs and raising a paw towards her.

"Hello."

A second figure, about the same size as Usagi herself, walked out of the shadows and stopped by the feline. She too wore a sailor fuku. Her colors and gloves were different though; her gloves extended only a few inches up her arm instead of reaching her elbows, but the dim moonlight bleached what little colors could be discerned among the shadows. Her boots, her skirt and bows, even her tiara were identical in all but color. Her hair was pulled back into two ponytails, which had been braided and looped back around in a circle, although the circles were small because of the short length of her hair.

_There's something… familiar about them…_ Usagi thought, confused and wary.

The other girl – senshi? – seemed to bounce in place and kept suppressing, what Usagi assumed to be, a grin the way her mouth kept twitching, as the feline walked forward.

"Don't be alarmed, Bunny, we're friends."

Usagi immediately leaped back, demanding to know who they were and how they knew her.

The cat sighed, sat on its haunches, and beckoned the girl behind it forward.

"I suppose it would be best to start this way then." The cat motioned towards the girl. "This is Sailor Sun, but you know her," the girl dropped her transformation, "as Lana."

Usagi gaped as her friend stood before her in her pajamas. Lana bounced up and down on her feet a few times, hands clasped together as she lost the battle against her grin. She stopped bouncing for a moment, her grin widening, before she launched herself at the still immobile Usagi. Her speed knocked Usagi off her feet and the two fell to the ground with an _oomph_, Lana's arms still locked around Usagi in an enthusiastic hug.

"This is so great! This is so cool! We can train together, and now I'll have someone to talk to about this, and isn't is so weird? But it's so cool too, isn't it! And-"

"Lana that's enough!" the cat exclaimed. "And got off the poor girl before you flatten her even more. Let her breathe!"

Lana rubbed the back of her head sheepishly as she sat up and crawled off of her stunned friend. Usagi coughed a few times, her lungs grasping at the air now available to her after that stunning flying-glomp.

"I'm sorry!"

"That's... okay..." Usagi got out between gasps. "Um... how...?"

"How did we know? Or how did she become a senshi?" the cat filled in for Usagi. Usagi only nodded. "I'll start at the beginning then. I found Lana here in the States, much like I'm sure your Companion (2) had found you. I managed to get adopted by the family," Usagi nodded at the similar circumstances, "and gave Lana her wand one night. I've been training her for several months now. This is our practice field--"

"Wait, wand?" Usagi questioned.

"Well, yeah. What do you use?" Lana broke into the conversation.

"My locket," Usagi motioned to the locket attached to her front bow. She hesitantly reached a hand to it, before taking a deep breath and taking it off, therefore canceling out her transformation. Now dressed only in her pajamas also, Usagi held the locket in a tight grip as she reached out to show it to the feline. "Um, who are you anyway?"

The cat smiled a secretive grin. "Why Bunny, I'm hurt! You met me only a few days ago, exclaimed how pretty I was, and now you've forgotten me already? I'm crushed!"

Usagi titled her head, puzzled, before gasping and sitting upright. "Ozzy?!"

Lana giggled. "Yup! That's my li'l Oz-Oz!"

'Ozzy' looked very disgruntled at the name. "Please stop calling my 'Oz-Oz'! It's enough you called me Ozzy after that ... musician," she shuddered and covered her ears for a moment, "but Oz-Oz is even more degrading." Turning to Usagi, she continued. "My name is Eos, but since that is a highly unusual name for a child to have come up with, she decided to shorten it to Ozzy to seem more normal." Eos rolled her eyes. "But, Bunny... where is your Companion? The one who found you and gave you the locket?"

Usagi bowed her head as her eyes filled with tears.

"Oh!" Lana gasped, "it was your cat, wasn't it? The one who..."

Usagi nodded and sniffled. Lana leaned over and hugged the girl as she tried to prevent the sobs from taking over. Eos looked confused as she glanced from one girl to the other. Lana noticed the looks and told her what Usagi said to her.

"Her cat, who must've been the one to find her, was killed the day she moved from Japan." Usagi gave a sharp sniff and a hic. Lana rubbed her back. "She had been missing so Bunny and her dad went looking for her, and... well, she was crossing a street, and..."

Eos nodded her head to show she understood. She padded over to the sniffling girl and gently rubbed against her limp arm.

"I can never replace her, and I wouldn't want to try, but I would like to train you as one of my own with Lana. Would you accept me as your Companion?"

"Um... what do you mean, a Companion?" Usagi asked as she lifted her head from Lana's shoulder.

"You weren't...? Well, nevermind that. A Companion is what you call the one who finds and trains you as a Sailor Senshi. And ... I'd like to be your friend too, Bunny."

Usagi looked away, silent except for a few sniffles, but even those eventually fell silent. Finally, she looked back at Eos.

"I'd like that too."

Lana had a grin wide enough to split her face she was so happy. "YES!!"

"Now, it's time for you two to start training as a pair. Let's get to work now, shall we? There's still school in the morning and gymnastics after it. You both need to get some sleep tonight... after we start."

"Oh... Eos!" the two groaned.

* * *

(1) tree-hole – um... couldn't really think of anything better to call it, since it's basically just a hole in the tree-trunk. Well, more like a little tunnel, since it's supposed to be a large tree, but you get the idea, right??

(2) Companion – explained by Eos. I can't exactly call Luna an Advisor, since she wasn't really and advisor until after the Princess was 'found' (even though she didn't do much advising...) so I'm instead going to call them Companions, since that's a more accurate description of what I see Luna and Artemis (and Eos) as being to the girls and Senshi.

* * *

**And so ends chapter seven! Hope it was somewhat worth the wait. I had planned to update the first of the month, but uh... well my dad was going through my computer for me (I was trying to make space on it and whatnot) and it turns out I had SIX viruses!! So that took time away from my beloved computer. Sorry!**

**It's summer though, and since i'm still jobless, I hope to have more time to devote to writing. Reviews are great motivaters, by the way. And emails!**

**But I have something I need every reader's opinion on since it concerns the next (and possibly future) chapters:**

**Should the next chapter include how Lana and Usa meet Haruka or should I jump forward the next ten years, where most of the action will pick up, and leave "meeting Haruka" as a side story which I'll write (and that might take up a few chapters as a side story)? PLEASE tell me which you'd prefer, 'cause I'm planning on just jumping forward otherwise.**

---

**REVIEWERS:**

**Neonlights: **LOL, thank you so much. Personally, I don't think this is very original, but i'm extremely glad that you do. And thanks for the suggestion about my fight scene.

**songoku778**

**MoonBunny777 **

**Starlit Warrior**

**jaz7**

**Deadly Aura:** Careful when mentioning chocolate to me, I'm known to be a choco-holic among my friends and family. Best way to get me to do something is to bribe me with chocolate. Or books. Books are good too.

**Sailor Phoenix**

**IssaLee: **This help answer your questions? I hope I created new ones though!

**momocolady**

**ChibiRikku1: ** I'm working on it, I'm working on it!

**sky unicorn:** First question – that would spoil the fun! Second – yes, she will end up with Endy. I'm a die-hard Sere/Endy (or Usa/Mamo, Serena/Darien) fan. Of course, it's not going to be such a simple get-together for them... after all, where's the fun in that?

**Didaskaleinophobia**

**SerenityChild:** I don't quite know what to say... I'm glad you're attached to the story though. Hope you keep enjoying it!

**Miyoko5800:** Yup, I remember senior of high school... ugh. Let me know how your applications turned out? Good luck in college!

**Elementalmoon**

**Jennyroseangel**

**Sorro's Angel: ** Oo So many questions! LOL, can't answer them I'm afraid, they're for future readings. If you do leave your email, next time I write out a fight scene as a preview I'll give you a few more hints (or inside info, whichever you'd like to call it) in an email for any questions you have.

**SJ**

**Silver Moonlight-81**

**Nazi Hater: **Thank you! I wasn't so sure about the fight scene, which is why I put it up as a preview.


	8. A Rebirth

**Chasing the Moon**

**By Kuroi Koneko**

---

**bows head in shame I have no excuses.**

**I have gone back through all the previous chapters and made a few various corrections. They're not exceptionally important - a few added details, tied up some forgotten characters (thanx for pointing out the tutor! I'd forgotten her... ) and the like, but just so you all know...**

**This picks up a few nights after last chapter but it will jump several years in the future about halfway through or so. Don't worry, I'm not jumping back and forth in time, just finishing up one time "period" before moving on to the next "period" or part of the story. I have more planned out readily for the middle and end than I did for the beginning so - time (and job) allowing - I'll have more chapters up more quickly. Every few weeks or so, I think.  
**

* * *

**Chapter 8: Rebirth**

Usagi and Lana decided, after that first night, that they would never have Senshi training the night before they had gymnastics practice. They were both so exhausted after training that night, then school, then gymnastics, that practice was a disaster for them. Eos, after seeing them both stumble around afterwards, agreed to the idea.

"At least until we've been able to work more on your stamina, but that'll take a few years when you don't require as much sleep," Eos had added.

Eos, now having two Senshi to train, rather than just her original "foundling", decided to forego the mechanical defense-training since both were more adept at defensive maneuvers thanks to gymnastics. She began teaching them they're unique senshi attacks.

The girls looked blankly at Eos.

"All right," Eos sighed, "try it this way. I want you to close your eyes." They did. "Now think of your Guardian Star - what you're named a senshi after. See it glowing in your mind... feel its warmth surrounding you, giving you strength..." Eos looked closely at the two girls and gave a small grin as she noticed them both glowing faintly in their respective colors. "Good, good... now... take a deep breath in... good, that's it... now listen carefully." Eos lowered her voice to a soft whisper, beginning to move away from the shining Senshi in front of her. Several yards away at the other end of the clearing, she set up two practice youmas in front of the girls. "Can you hear them? The voices whispering to you, telling you your words of power? Feel them filling you, feel the strength rising through you, expanding until you feel the words..." The girls began glowing even brighter. "Release!"

Their eyes snapped open as they both shouted out their attacks.

Sailor Moon's hand automatically reached up to grip her tiara, effortless pulling it off as she shouted, "Moon Tiara Magic!" and released the glowing disc at the doll in front of her. The orb impacted dead on and the doll disintegrated with the disc. Moon's tiara appeared to have never left her forehead.

Sailor Sun raised both her hands above her head, her eyes still closed. Flicking her wrists so that her hands opened upward a small glowing ball appeared, the size of a marble. Twisting her hands as she brought them down in front of her chest - now crossed - she flung her arms straight out in front of her, twisting the small light which began to spin as it soared towards the doll, her words ringing out as she called, "Solar Flare!" The growing light engulfed the doll at the opposite end and then began to grow dark until only a small line of gold was visible around the edges. As the light grew brighter Sailor Sun's eyes snapped open and then the light vanished, leaving a small twin pile of dust next to Sailor Moon's decimated doll.

Sailor Moon and Sailor Sun looked at each of their piles, then at Eos, and at each other before squealing loudly, and jumping up and down as they clutched the other's hands. Each began babbling quickly and mostly incoherently.

"That was so - "

"Did you see - "

"And the light - "

"It was so warm - "

"I know! It - "

"GIRLS!"

They instantly quieted and stilled. Turning slowly they faced a tail-slashing feline.

"Thank you." Eos's tail slowed to a soft flicking motion. "Now, congratulations on your first attacks. They were both spectacular and highly effective -" she waved a paw at the piles of dust "- as you can see. Now our next task is our most important, I believe."

The girls looked at each other quickly before turning back to Eos who merely watched them. Not able to take the silence any more, Sailor Moon spoke first.

"And what would that be, Eos?"

Eos smiled almost deviously, and said, "Immunity." (1)

* * *

A sharp _CRACK!_ ripped through the quiet air, followed by an inaudible _thump_ of something hitting the grass softened ground. A flash of light was concealed behind a thick shroud of trees where two girls and a solitary cat stood motionless in shock. 

"Bunny! I - Wha - I'm sorry - Eos, wha! - Oh Usa!" Sailor Sun babbled hysterically as she clasped her hands to her mouth, staring in shock at her pajama-clad friend, tears filling her eyes as they all looked down at the ground where the source of everyone's shock lay glinting innocently in the faint moonlight.

The two halves of Usagi's transformation broach. (2)

Usagi numbly fell to her knees with a boneless flop, staring unseeingly at the shards as she mumbled under her breath, "Luna..."

Lana had stopped babbling, instead she sniffed and muffled her whimpers beneath her tightly clenched hands.

Eos hesitated, then cautiously approached the silent girl. A soft _thump_ behind her alerted her to Lana's own collapse, though she still whimpered. She gently nudged one of Usagi's legs with her head, hoping for some sign of acknowledgment. Nothing. She turned away from Usagi's blank gaze and focused on the split broach. Several stones had fallen out of place, but the sparkles in the grass easily revealed the broach's fallen comrades. Eos examined the broach from all the angles she could without blocking Usagi's view of it - to which she'd reacted with a violent swipe of her hand to remove the offending obstruction - but could see no way to repair the damage. The broken edges of the broach had been melted by the heat of the attack, the gems' indentations had crumpled, and there were multiple areas where the damage was simply irreparable. However, even if Eos believed that she _could_ have repaired the locket, she didn't know if the magic held within it could be repaired. If it had broken through natural means, it would've been a relatively simply fix, but through a magical cause? The only one who would have even a remote chance of repairing all the damage would be the one who gave it to Usagi in the first place. And she was gone...

Once again nudging the immobile Usagi, Eos murmured a soft, "I'm sorry" before curling up in her lap and purring.

Usagi did not seem to notice Eos' presence. Tears slipped silently down her cheeks as she reached out a trembling hand towards the remains. At her tremulous touch, the broach exploded into a blinding light. A soft chiming sound echoed through the clearing, and as the light cleared and all could see again, the absence of all traces of the broach was noticeable instantly. Usagi's sharp gasp seemed to jolt her out of her trance, and as the full impact of the loss of her transformation broach hit her, she swept Eos up into her arms and sobbed.

Lana, having de-transformed during the blinding flash of light, crept her way towards her sobbing friend, and carefully put her arms around her. As Usagi leaned into her warm embrace, Lana too, began to cry.

And all Eos could do was purr.

-----

The next several nights Usagi did not join Eos and Lana for training. She had become very withdrawn from everyone, much as she had been when Luna died. Lana was wracked with guilt about breaking Usagi's precious broach and could barely stand to look Usagi in the eye without breaking into tears. Everyone else thought that Lana and Usagi had a fight - about what, they didn't know, and why, they couldn't guess, but only the three of them knew the truth about Usagi's behavior.

Eos, because she was not Usagi's original Companion, could not fully replace her lost and broken broach and still expect her to retain her full senshi abilities. She debated with herself for an entire week before she decided on what to do. While she could not "bring back" Sailor Moon, she _could_ adapt her, so to speak. It took another week for her to create the new henshin wand, but she was very excited about it. When she woke Lana up one night, it wasn't for the nightly training session, but instead for a stop at Usagi's. When they reached her house Lana jumped up near her bedroom window and began knocking as insistently and loudly as she dared. Usagi, predictably, slept on.

Exasperated by the heavy sleeper, Eos stood on her back legs, her front paws braced against the window pane as she traced a symbol onto the glass. The sign glowed for an instant and there was a soft _click_ as the window unlocked. The symbol faded as Lana pushed the window open. The duo quietly crept into the room and approached the bed's slumbering occupant. Lana gently began to shake Usagi awake.

When Usagi finally awoke she gave the pair a small but empty smile. Eos winced a little but quickly stepped forward to speak.

"Bunny," she began affectionately, "while I can neither bring back nor repair your beloved broach, I can at least make you a senshi again. I can't exactly make you Sailor Moon, either," she said quickly, seeing the rising of hope on her face, "but I can... revise it, in a manner of speaking.," she added in a rush. "Nothing once gone can ever come back the same, Bunny. I want you to know that now. I can't make you Sailor Moon, but I can make you a... a variation, you could say. Is that alright?"

Usagi was silent. For several minutes she just sat there and stared blankly at her bedspread. Neither Lana nor Eos said a word, not wanting to disrupt her thoughts. After what felt like an eternity of silence, Usagi looked up at Lana and locked eyes with her for a long minute before turning her gaze on Eos and giving a firm nod yes. Lana gave a happy shout to which Eos and Usagi both immediately shushed her for. She covered her mouth to muffle the happy giggles but could not prevent herself from bouncing happily on Usagi's bed. Eos herself gave a wide happy smile.

"Very well, I'm glad you agreed," Eos said proudly. "Now, this," Eos paused a moment as she stood on her hind legs again, but this time she twisted around in a circle, her paws raised as though chasing an invisible string. When she completed her single revolution and set her paws down on the bed again, there was a small _thump_ and a pen-like wand lay in front of her. "This will be your new henshin wand." Eos gestured for Usagi to pick it up and she did so.

"Who am I suppose to be now?" she whispered, her gaze fixed on the silver pen.

"Why don't you tell us? What do you hear, Bunny? What words are being called to you?"

Usagi went silent once more, her eyes examining her pen as she tried to "listen" for its activation words. The pen was unremarkable for the most part. It was maybe twice as thick as a normal pen and completely silver. Its only decoration was a silver crescent moon - turned on its side so only one point was in contact, the other stood defiantly away from its twin peak and glinted almost malevolently in the faint starlight. As her gaze fixed upon the silver decoration though, words began forming in her mind.

"Crescent Moon Power!"

* * *

(10 Years Later) 

_"Attention all passengers, we will be preparing to land in Tokyo, Japan in just a few minutes. Please return to your seats and follow the landing instructions of your nearest flight attendant."_

(It's just become apparent to me that I've never described Lana, so I'm going to now since it's more relevant, k?) A girl in here late teens, her red-and-pink streaked blonde hair held back in two looped braids on either side of her head, (3) attempted to wake her sleeping seatmate.

"Bunny," she crooned softly, "it's time to wake up now. We're almost at the airport. Bunny..."

After several minutes of failure through gentle means, Lana gave Usagi a hard push and a loud "Wake UP!" which finally managed to rouse the sleeping blonde. Usagi jolted upright with an automatic "I'm awake!" Lana got a good luck at the half-asleep girl and burst out in a fit of giggles. Usagi's usually neatly kept twin buns were half falling out of their confinements; the several feet of hair hanging from the buns were tangle in total disarray.

Usagi glared at her madly giggling companion, tried to brush her hair out of her face - only to get her fingers somehow entangled - and then transferred her glare to her hand and hair.

"Lana-chan, shut up! It is NOT that funny. Quiet!" Usagi glowered at her still-laughing friend before trying to rescue her hand and untangle her hair. She managed to emancipate her hand, but gave up on her hair. She managed to take down her buns and redo them even though they weren't as neat as before. The streamers she finger-combed a few times and then looped around the buns twice. Turning to Lana for inspection, she waited.

Lana, having conquered her fit of giggles, raised an eyebrow at the frizzy makeshift hair-do and attempted to suppress another giggle-fit.

"You'll definitely want a hat or scarf to cover the frizz, at least 'til we get to a bathroom and you can brush it out, but it'll do for now."

"Good."

A stewardess walked by, reminding them to put their seats and trays in the proper and upright positions, to please buckle their seatbelts, and that they'd begin landing in just a few minutes before moving on to the next row. Usagi and Lana sat their seats up and waited to land.

"I don't see her anywhere, do you?"

"No, but if she's trying to hide from fans she might've forgotten _we_ might not recognize her either."

"True. Oh hey! I think that's her!"

"What? Where?"

"Over there. That tall guy-ish looking blonde in the shadows." Bunny bounced up and down trying to look in the direction Lana pointed in. "Really, Usagi, in the bright red sports jacket!"

"OH! I see now." Bunny frowned and stared harder for a moment. "You really think that's her?"

"You don't?"

"Just get on with it you two!" Eos hissed from her carrying case. She was getting bumped around the small container with Bunny's jumping and it was making her sick and sore. The girls looked down and grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry, Ozzy," they chorused.

"Well, I guess there's only one way to really find out, isn't there?" Bunny asked.

"No, Usagi, don't –"

"KAZE-CHAN!!!" she yelled out. Everyone stopped and stared at the pair. Lana blushed a bright red while Bunny remained unaffected by the mass attention. Sure enough, the blonde in the red jacket grinned and waved at them.

"Hiya, Usagi-chan! Lana-chan! Welcome to Japan!" The blonde strode over to them and gently grabbed the Eos's cage from Usagi. "And hello to you to, Eos."

"Hello, Haruka. Nice to see you again. Would you mind getting us out of here now? The girls need to rest and adjust to the time difference before school starts next week," Eos whispered. Haruka nodded.

"Come on, you two. I have news about Tokyo you'll all want to hear."

------------------------- 

(1) Anyone who has read - and remembered - one of the last future-chapter teaser I posted, this is important. So... I'm curious though, what do you all think it means? Depending on answers, I might just revise a few idea points about it.

(2) This is the main reason why this chapter was so late. I had to figure out a way to get rid of the broach but still have a loop-hole to get it back (so-to-speak). I finally got it! Not how I originally planned to take it though... the chapters wrote themselves out differently than I had envisioned, but came out better than I had planned. Thank you Muses!

(3) If anyone's seen/read Naoko Takeuchi's other works, particularly "The Cherry Project", the hair is based on Cherri's. If you want pictures I can send some to you (email required of course, I'm not psychic) or you can search On Google's Images. There's plenty out there.

* * *

** And at long last I have finished the chapter! Introducing, Haruka! Yes, she's Sailor Uranus. Yes, she knows Lana and Usagi are Senshi. So it's clear, Lana and Usagi are on a student-exchange school trip. That's why they're in Japan. Originally I had planned for a sudden-orphaning of the two, but decided that would be too cruel and too hard to pull off and this hit me as a more credible alternative. Their history with Haruka WILL come up later. I promise.**


	9. The Players

**Chasing the Moon**

**Chapter 9**

**Everyone give a great big THANX to my betas: Yami-san, Crazy-chan, Dreamer-chan, & Ten-chan. With their help, this chapter was made much better than what I had originally. YAY! And also, thank you to everyone who replied to my beta request. I greatly appreciate all the support!**

::IMPORTANT:: For old readers, PLEASE REREAD CHAPTERS 1 & 8 (most noticable) because CHANGES have been made. THANK YOU.

* * *

A white cat slowly nudged open a door, the sounds of happy humming and sizzling floating through the air. A brunette stood at the stove, the handle of a pan in one hand, her other holding a spatula and poking at the contents. The cat padded to the chef and rubbed its head against her ambles, startling her.

"Oh!" She jumped. Hand over her heart she looked down at the cat's upturned face. "Artemis! I almost ruined breakfast!" she scolded, waving the spatula.

"Sorry, Makoto," the cat spoke, bowing his head. Then he stuck his nose in the air, closed his green eyes, and took an exaggerated sniff. "Mmm. What are you making?"

"Omelets," she turned back to the stove. "They're almost finished, so would you mind waking Mina up?" She sent a wink towards the grimacing cat. "I'll give you extra portions…" she bribed.

Artemis flicked his tail once before padding out of the kitchen. There was a muffled "thanks!" behind him as the door swung shut. He walked down the hall and stopped at the second door on his left. He pawed at the closed door until it opened slightly, then he nosed into the closed-curtained room, and stalked forward. He stopped a foot from the bed and contemplated the lumpy mound occupying its center. A streak of sunlight shifted across the bed from between the curtains and the lump moved.

Dropping into a crouch, a devilish smirk graced his feline features before he leapt onto the bed, as loud a screech as he could produce roaring out as he landed.

Back in the kitchen, Makoto paused as a loud "Ahh!" ripped through the small apartment, followed by a yowl and accompanying thud. Makoto shook her head, sighed, and continued setting out the food. Moments later a sleep-rumpled blonde entered the kitchen, zoomed in on the food, and promptly sat down to eat.

"Good morning, Mina!" Mako chimed cheerfully. Mina sent her a half-hearted glare until Mako set down a cup of tea in front of her. Moments later, a second cup was set in front of the more alert blonde, which she sipped leisurely in between bites of breakfast. "Better?" Mako asked with a fond smile.

"Much," Mina replied. "And good morning."

"Mako," Artemis whined from under the table. "I'm hungry, too." Mina sent a kick at him, which missed. He swiped a sheathed paw at her in retaliation, grumbling about spoiled blondes.

-------------

Across town, Makoto's counterpart, Nephrite, was calling his suitemates to the table. As soon as Mamoru and Kunzite walked in, he sent them right back out and to the showers. Jadeite, already sitting at the table, smirked at their disgruntled expressions, until Nephrite forbade him to eat until they came back.

"And where's Zoisite?" Nephrite asked the sulking blonde.

"With Ami. Where else?" Jadeite snapped. He got a head-smack in turn.

A few short minutes later, Mamoru and Kunzite returned to the kitchen freshly showered. A word of thanks to Nephrite for the food and the meal was quickly devoured.

-----------

Exiting the city's public library was a frequent pair of visitors: a college-aged young man of average height, blonde hair in a horsetail and intelligent green eyes, holding a bag presumably filled with the necessary books; accompanying him was a shorter, high-school aged young woman with her nose in an advanced science book. The young woman's boy-cut black hair kept falling into her navy eyes and obstructing her view frequently. The young man put an affectionate arm around her shoulders, guiding her to avoid obstacles in their path.

"You know, Ami, it helps to watch where you're walking," the blonde said, amused.

Without taking her eyes from her book, Ami reached up and patted the hand on her shoulder and then laced her fingers with his.

"That's what I keep you around for, Zoisite," Ami replied absently.

"I shudder to think what would happen if you didn't," he chuckled.

---------

In a large house on the quiet edges of the city, soft string music flowed out of the open windows. Inside an elegantly decorated sitting room were two young women: one sitting, one standing.

The younger of the pair – looking to be no more than 16 – had her shoulder-length black hair pulled away from her face with plain silver clips, allowing her to play the violin upon her shoulder without worrying about catching her hair. Her pale fingers danced with the bow and the stings of her instrument, her lavender dress swaying gently with her rocking motion.

The elder – looking to be about 18 – sat in an armless chair, a cello between her legs. Her long aqua hair was secured at the nape of her neck, her head bowed over her instrument, eyes closed in concentration. Her off-white dress complemented her lightly tanned skin and shown brightly against the dark wood of the cello.

A door behind the duo slid open silently, a tall dark-skinned woman entering just as quietly and taking a seat on the couch pushed against the wall to her left. Her long dark hair gleamed an emerald green in the soft overhead lights as she blew on the mug of tea in her hands. Taking a sip, she closed her eyes and sighed appreciatively. She smiled gently, her legs crossing beneath her mauve skirt and foot tapping in time with the music.

The music slowly tapered off and the woman on the couch opened her eyes.

"That was lovely. Did you write that, Michiru?" she asked.

The cellist opened her eyes as well, smiling as she turned to face the speaker.

"Good morning, Setsuna. No, actually, Hotaru here is writing it," she nodded fondly at the youngest in the room.

Hotaru nodded at Setsuna, slightly embarrassed as pink blossomed on her face.

"Good morning, Auntie Setsuna."

"Good morning, Hota. That was a beautiful song. Have you finished it yet or do you plan to add more?" Setsuna inquired.

Hotaru's face grew melancholy, the color fading from her cheeks.

"It's not done yet. But the music has grown louder." Hotaru began to stare at something unseen, the top-crossed, slightly wavy "h" symbol of Saturn glowing softly against her forehead.

Setsuna swung her worried cinnamon gaze to meet Michiru's matching teal eyes. They turned to look at Hotaru as she continued softly.

"She's close now. Her song is clearer. Closer." She blinked dreamy violet eyes at the pair staring at her. "We'll find Her soon." She smiled.

---------

Jadeite climbed a long flight of stairs leading to the Cherry Hill Shrine in the middle of the city. An irate young woman in red hakama and white gi stood at the top of the stairs, tapping her foot.

"You're late!" she yelled at Jadeite.

"Sorry, Rei!" he yelled back.

"Not yet, you're not," she shot back. She pointed to her left, towards a pile of cleaning supplies. Jadeite groaned as he spied the broom, mop, rake, bags, and other equipment that promised a long day of manual labor.

He heaved a sigh that earned him no sympathy from the fire priestess, grabbed a broom, and got started on the top steps.

---------

Rei stalked off, huffing angrily under her breath about the evils of men, and listened carefully for the sounds of sweeping. Satisfied that Jadeite was doing his job, almost an hour late, she released her breath and calmed down. Standing outside the Fire Room, she breathed in and out several times to relax her mind and body. Entering into the Great Fire's presence with too much emotion - especially for someone so in-tuned to the element to begin with - was just asking to get burned.

Her tranquil state of mind restored, she slid open the shoji and entered. The Fire flared a little at the income of air, but quickly returned to normal after she closed it behind her. Rei walked forward to kneel before the flames, sitting quietly in meditation as she sought the source of her earlier disquiet. How long she sat before the Fire she did not measure, but at the sudden flare her eyes snapped open.

Inside the now white flames was a dark shadow. Rei's internal fire roared to life at the presence of evil but she pushed it down, looking deeper into the glaring white for the location of the youma. When she found it, the fires died down as she jumped up and rushed out of the room.

"Jadeite!" she yelled. "Time to go!" She quickly brought her communicator out of her robes and hit the plain white all-call button. "Girls, we've got a visitor waiting for us in the City."

* * *

Soft taps accompanied by nearly inaudible grunts played counterpoint to the sharp snaps of ribbons and capes as the Senshi and Generals raced across rooftops. Sailor Mercury, in her ice blue and dark blue accented fuku, was in the front as she led their direction based on the information from her computer.

"Two blocks, a right and then we should be on top of it!" she shouted to the others behind her.

"Can you get any readings on the youma itself, Mercury?" a Senshi in orange and pale yellow, a jeweled chain wrapped around her waist (1) asked as she pulled even.

"Not without being closer, Venus," Mercury replied. "What about you, Mars? Can you pick up on anything?"

A Senshi in sharp red and softer purples pulled up closer to the two Senshi in the lead.

"Nothing definitive, but something is restless and something else is… waiting, I think," Sailor Mars frowned, trying to decipher what she was "picking up" on.

"Something else?" a smooth baritone voice interjected. Mars and Venus shifted their positions to make room for Tuxedo Mask. "Is there more than one youma?"

"I don't think it's another youma, but I don't know for sure," Mars replied hesitantly. Her eyes grew distant as she focused her attention inward.

A General, dressed in a light grey suit, dark red piping along his suit's hem, came up behind Sailor Mars and gently steered her around obstacles she didn't notice in her trance-like state. He pulled hard on her arms when the group stopped but she didn't. The abrupt halt jolted her out of her trance and she focused on her surroundings.

Five stories below the Senshi and accompanying Generals was a shroud of silence and bodies. In neat circles that formed an aerial target were unmoving and carelessly sprawled civilians. There was no sign of the youma. Venus gave a signal and the Senshi split into pairs and spread out around the perimeter of the block, sticking to the rooftops for a better view of the land. Venus and Pluto remained where they were as Mercury and Jupiter moved to their left side. Mars and Neptune moved to the right side of Venus and Pluto and completed their triangle formation. General Jadeite joined Mars and Neptune and General Zoisite joined Mercury and Jupiter, while Tuxedo Mask remained with Venus and Pluto.

With the group as strategically placed as possible, being short three members, they all dropped to the ground and began to enter the first ring of bodies. When all three groups confirmed that the civilians had pulses (though faint and a little quick), they began to search for the elusive youma they all could feel somewhere in the vicinity.

A loud roar sounded but echoed confusingly among the buildings, before everything fell silent again. The groups of three all held their breath in the eerie quiet. If they hadn't, they probably would not have noticed the faint scraping sound. Mercury, Jupiter, and Zoisite quickly backed into an alley where Mercury dropped to one knee, pulled out her computer and visor, and began scanning the area for the disturbance. Just as Mercury's computer beeped a response at her, Mars let out an involuntary yelp from across the block. Neptune and Jadeite quickly responded with simultaneous roundhouse kicks to Mars' assailant.

Mercury's eyes widened as she cried out. "No powers! It's the civilians! They're being controlled!"

The first ring of bodies that they had all passed through – and now had at their backs – rose up and stood with the boneless look of a marionette. They all lumbered towards the separated groups, attempting to pull them each down into a suffocating dog pile. The Senshi didn't use their attacks not wanting to injure the innocents, but with so many of them coming in wave after relentless wave, they began to grow anxious. There came another great roar and all the bodies stopped instantly and stood in docile positions. The Senshi and generals froze in their defensive positions, looking around warily. Jupiter and Zoisite moved back to Mercury's side and with a sharp nod from the nearby Venus, Mercury dropped down to one knee again to scan the area. A low staccato growl filled the empty air and everyone – excluding the intently scanning Sailor Mercury – tensed at the sound.

"Your tiny gadget will not find me, Ice Brat," a gravelly voice growled out. "Then again," the staccato growls began again, "I'm not the one you'd want to be looking for!"

Mercury froze for a second as her computer began to frantically beep. Her eyes widened and she shouted a warning to the others as she dived into an alley.

"Move it!" she screamed.

The other began reacting when they noticed Mercury's unease, but were too far from protection. A sudden blast hit the ground a handful of yards from the scattered group, knocking them down, crashing into people and buildings. The possessed civilians seemed unaffected by the blast, the few knocked down by the affected heroes merely stood back up and waited. Mercury threw out a quick "Shabon Spray" and a thick foggy mist quickly filled the block. The Senshi got to their feet and grouped around Mercury, who was again scanning for the youma. The men stood protectively in front of the women.

"The computer says the energy blast came from directly ahead, about fifty feet," Mercury whispered. "There's a large mass, but I'm not reading any type of energy signature."

Sailor Venus and Tuxedo Mask exchanged quick glances.

"Initial assault?" she asked.

"Small group, distant attacks."

"Too much risk. One attacker would be best."

Tuxedo Mask was quiet for a moment. "Contrast image, then." Sailor Venus nodded. "I'll do it then. I can do distant and multiple," he cut off her protest. She sighed and agreed. Tuxedo Mask stepped forward and away from the group, reaching into his cape before sharply tossing out handfuls of steel-edged roses in the direction Sailor Mercury pointed him in.

There were multiple sounds of impact and Sailor Mercury, who was focusing on her computer's read-outs, gave a soft "ha!" in triumph.

"It's large," she said, "but it has a weak energy signature."

"Any weak points?" Neptune asked in the same tone. Mercury was silent as she continued typing.

"Its body heat appears to be drastically low, so intense heat may be effective. However, it appears to have some form of armor on that theoretically would prevent such an exploitable fault."

"Is the armor vulnerable then?"

"Try the joints," was the hesitant reply. "There's one directly down the center and two on the sides. Those appear to be the weakest parts." Venus and Tuxedo nodded and then the men went out on the offensive. Venus turned to the Senshi behind her.

"Pluto, when I give the signal, I want you to hit it first. Neptune, Mercury, I want that thing drenched. Jupiter, zap it. Hopefully that will have weakened the armor enough that the guys can break it off. Mars, once that armor falls; you and Jupiter fry the thing. I want it extra crispy!" Venus commanded.

"HAI!"

"Go!"

Venus and the Generals charged into the mist and began firing off their most physical attacks. As their momentum brought them closer to the mist-shrouded youma, they let out one more barrage of attacks and abruptly backed off. Venus shouted "Now!" to the waiting Senshi behind them.

Pluto's whispered attack slammed into the battered youma, which was too cumbersome to move out of the line of fire. The youma countered with several impressive blasts, but it's slow movements allowed everyone to easily dodge the now-visible attacks. After Pluto, Neptune and Mercury stepped up; first Neptune soaked it, then Mercury froze and immobilized it.

Jupiter shot off a "Thunder Zap" attack that danced and crackled around the ice. As it began to smoke the ice cracked off and the youma slumped forward. It began laughing its staccato growl and shot off a final message as Mars' fiery assault bore down on it.

"I'm not the one you should worry about!" Then its armor broke and the youma disintegrated. From its ashes rose a black mist that began to quickly cover the ground. Everyone backed away from it, wary of letting it come close, let alone allowing it to touch them. Mercury was again using her computer to scan everything, but nothing besides the group and the still-possessed civilians were registering on her visor screen.

"Mercury, what is this stuff?" Zoisite called to his lover. At the first sound of his voice, the first sound to have broken the silence since the youma was dusted, the black mist stopped spreading instantly.

"What the hell?" was the consensus by all. "Mercury?"

"I don't know; it's not registering all at!"

A soft, airy laugh whispered through the area, followed by a dark figure walking out of the mist towards the Senshi. The form was short and, as the meager light fell upon it, looked to be a child with curly light brown hair in a Lolita-style (5) dress. She was carrying a toy bear's head in one hand and the bear's body in the other. She flashed a charming, innocence-laced smile at the stunned group, a sweet child's voice coming from her direction though her lips never moved.

"This? This is the stuff Nightmares are made of!"

The child-youma cocked her head to one side and the mist moved with her, shooting out at the nearest person, Sailor Pluto, and covering her head-to-toe. There was stunned silence for a moment and then her screams rang out from her black-shrouded form, her thrashing struggles clearly visible and obviously futile. The child-youma giggled, delighted with the effects.

"Pluto!" Venus screamed. Venus rushed towards the giggling child-youma, calling out her "Crescent Smash" attack. The youma cocked her head to the other side and a civilian suddenly appeared in front of the attack, shielding the child-youma. The person didn't make a sound or even flinch as the attack sliced through. "Oh Goddess!" The civilian wilted and black mist began oozing from the wound in place of blood.

"That wasn't very nice of her, was it, Mr. Bear?" The child lifted the bear's head to eye level and shook it side-to-side. "If they're not going to play nice, neither will we!" She dropped her hand off the bear's head, which remained floating in place. The head turned to face the Senshi with evil red eyes and a fang-baring grin. Pluto's screams and thrashing grew more violent as its mouth opened and began sucking in all the mist, dragging Pluto's covered form with it.

"Mercury!"

"I don't know! Nothing's registering!"

Unnoticed tendrils of black mist snagged the legs of three Generals and the nearby Senshi, Mars and Jupiter, pulling them to the ground and dragging them towards the bear's head as well. The child-youma clapped the bear's hands together, giggling excitedly and bouncing on her feet as she watched everyone struggling against the growing shadow-bonds.

"Light of Revelations!" an unfamiliar voice called out. It was followed by a burst of blinding light that literally burned away the black mist, leaving smoking grey ashes in its place.

"Ahh! What have you done! Mr. Bear, Mr. Bear!" The child-youma sounded suitably upset, standing over the ashes of what was her toy bear's severed head. "Who did this? Who did this?" she screamed, her eyes beginning to glow red.

"I did." Everyone turned towards the voice. Silhouetted by a ray of sunlight in the otherwise grey and gloomy atmosphere, was an unrecognized Senshi. She stepped forward and revealed herself to the group. First were gold knee-high boots encasing bare legs covered in a matching gold mini-skirt attached to an iridescent white fuku. White gloves with gold piping half-covered arms crossed in front of a gold-jeweled white bow. Finally, her face was brought to light; a determined expression in her sunset-shifting eyes and crowned by a darker gold tiara, a glowing gold gem set in its point. Her rosy-gold hair was held in two pigtails at the top of her head, each tail confined into a pair of braids that reached her waist. Standing in the light, she recited her introduction, "I hound the heels of Darkness, bringing the Light of Truth and Justice. Shadows do not exist in the presence of the Sun. I am Sailor Sun!" (2)

"Sailor Sun, is it?" the child-youma snarled, its voice no longer so sweet sounding. "Even the sun can be covered by shadows!" She thrust the bear's headless body toward the new Senshi and the black mist burst out of the gaping hole.

Sailor Sun didn't budge from her position even as the mist converged upon her. When she was fully covered and concealed, the child-youma began cackling. She stopped when cracking filled the air and beams of light shone through the tears in the mist. The shadows exploded and dissolved into ash as Sailor Sun stood in her stance, arms cocked on her hips now, and glowing a bright, sunny gold.

"Well then," Sailor Sun raised a hand and snapped her fingers, a small marble-sized ball of light forming above her opened palm. "One turn deserves another, doesn't it?" she asked rhetorically before flicking the ball of light at the child-youma.

Everyone remained motionless as they watched the light soar through the air to bounce against the youma's forehead and settle onto her hair. The ball of light shone brighter and then seemed to melt over the youma's body, covering her completely. As the light covered her eyes she began screaming, clawing at the insubstantial light. The Senshi and Generals stared in shock as the youma freaked out over the light covering her body.

"The Darkness cannot abide the Light. Use it to your advantage, Sailors, Generals." Sailor Sun nodded to each group – who stared at her blankly, still shocked – and she leapt away, disappearing into a beam of light they couldn't look into.

"Light!" Mercury exclaimed, the first to figure out the meaning as she snapped out of her daze. "Venus, Jupiter, Mars, Jadeite! Your attacks!"

As the others shook off their shock, the aforementioned turned questioning gazes to the Ice Senshi.

"Your attack elements all produce the most light! If the four of you all attack her, it should dust her!"

"Alright, you heard her," Venus said strongly. "On three!" They all stood up and prepared. "One, two, three!"

Four attacks rang out, combined, and hit the obliviously screaming youma. She stopped screaming for an instant and then exploded into ash. Everyone let out sighs of relief before jumping to the rooftops.

"Tomorrow, 2 PM," Venus said quietly. "There's much to discuss."

Everyone nodded, then separated into pairs or singles, dropped into different alleys to dehenshin, (3) and went about their day as though nothing happened. In the street below, the possessed civilians all came out of their trances and continued their business, never aware of any change in their lives. The civilian Sailor Venus thought she attacked slowly faded away in the light, the illusion of shadows holding it together slowly dissipating without the child-youma to hold it together.

* * *

Unseen on a nearby rooftop, Sailor Sun stood with two other Senshi.

"They need a lot of work," Sailor Sun said.

"They have to be ready," the tallest added.

"They will be," the third interjected. "It'll just take time."

"Time's not your forte, Crescent," the tallest shot back, amused.

"And it's not yours, either," Sailor Sun snapped back. "Patience is a virtue, but you two are the very definition of tardy!"

"Hey!" they shouted, giving chase to a laughing Sailor Sun.

* * *

Dressed in priestess clothes, Rei kneeled before a roaring fire, murmuring chants under her breath as she focused her mind. Jadeite sat a few feet away in matching priest robes also staring intently into the fire. Behind the pair, in two even rows sat ten people; two men and three women in each row. Mina, a young woman with long pale blonde hair, opened her mouth to speak just as the fire in front of them suddenly flared out and turned white. No one moved away from the flames despite their heat and extreme closeness. When the fire settled to normal, the pair in front sighed and turned to face the group behind them.

"What did you see?" a woman's voice asked from a shadowy corner of the room. As everyone turned to look at the newcomer, two felines walked out of the shadows and into the light cast by the fire. A solid black cat with dark blue eyes walked over to a younger girl with shoulder length black hair and dark violet eyes, sat down in her lap, and repeated, "What did you see, Rei?"

"Luna-san," Rei nodded to the dark feline, "the Great Fire was vague. It showed three figures, each cast in shadow, but their silhouettes suggest a Senshi's uniform. The sun rose and the figures vanished." Rei stopped abruptly.

The other feline, pure white with green eyes, got up from his place in Mina's lap.

"What is it?" he asked.

It was Jadeite who answered.

"The sun rose in the shape of your marks," he nodded at the gold upturned crescent moons that adorned the feline's foreheads. "Do you know what that could mean, Artemis-san?"

Luna and Artemis exchanged looks.

"No, Jadeite," Luna answered after a moment. "We've not heard of such a sign before."

"Was there anything else you saw?" Artemis added.

"Before the fire… changed," Rei started.

"There was a descending cover of darkness," Jadeite added.

"Then a hard wind started to blow, things grew hot, and then there was a burst of light," Rei finished.

"Wind, heat, and light?" a young woman in the back row piped. She made a gesture and a mini computer bearing the sign of Mercury fell into her hand.

"Is there something important about that, Ami?" Michiru, a woman with wavy aqua hair and matching eyes, politely inquired.

"Elements," Ami muttered. "We all have elements that define our unique abilities. Mine is ice, Michiru's is water, Setsuna's is time and space, Mina's is light and emotion-based, Rei's is fire, Mako's is storms and nature, and Hotaru's is Saturn and silence, death, and healing fall under her."

"So these other elements…?" Setsuna prodded.

"The only one that makes any sense to my computer is wind. Uranus."

"But the one we met claimed to be Sailor Sun," Mina pointed out. "And the heat could easily be caused by Rei's powers. The light could be any of us, really."

"So this new Senshi isn't in your database at all?" Michiru questioned. Ami shook her head negatively.

"Generals, you've been very quiet about all this," Artemis spoke up. "Any thoughts?"

"If she is not in Mercury's database, is she actually a Senshi?" Nephrite, a chestnut haired, brown-eyed man asked from the second row. (4)

"I agree with Nephrite," Zoisite, the strawberry-blonde next to Ami, said. "The Mercury Database covers everything. If this 'Sailor Sun' person isn't listed in the first place, how could she be a Senshi?"

The other men nodded in agreement.

"A good question, Zoisite," Luna replied. She then turned to Ami and asked, "If you could please, bring up the list of every known Senshi for this Solar System?" Ami nodded and started typing. "Thank you."

A short moment later and a hologram of the system popped up. Above each planet was a picture of each Senshi; Ami above Mercury, Mina above Venus, Rei above Mars, Makoto above Jupiter, Hotaru above Saturn, Setsuna above Pluto, and Michiru above Neptune. Uranus, the Sun, and Earth remained empty.

"Not everything," Luna murmured, looking at the empty space above the Moon. She shook her head free from past thoughts and thanked Ami again. "Until we learn more about this Sailor Sun, treat her as a neutral element but don't engage in any battles against her. She's already shown she's powerful.

"Now, this enemy youma you had mentioned disturbs me. They don't fit the pattern type. Beryl is far more flashy and uses human hosts… these are much more independent and subtle."

"It could be someone new, then," Rei said.

"That would explain a new Senshi in our territory, too," Setsuna added. "The Gates showed me a second set of shadows, but shut me out again before I could see further. If we _are_ dealing with another enemy as well, maybe this Sailor Sun has followed them from their original location."

"If she's that powerful to antagonize them into relocation," Makoto said seriously, "I don't think we should cause trouble with her."

"No one is to engage this foreign enemy," Mina stated, looking at everyone. "Avoid them if you can. If you must – and I mean _absolutely must_ – engage, then use defensive maneuvers first. If Sailor Sun is on the heels of this new group, then she should be the one to engage in the battles."

"Draw her out," Hotaru exclaimed. Mina nodded.

"And if she doesn't show?" Michiru asked.

"No less than three Senshi are to engage in offensive maneuvers. Mamoru, I don't know if you want to include your Generals in this or not. That's your decision," Mina replied. Mamoru nodded at Mina and the men.

"I agree," he said simply.

"If that's everything, I think we can be adjourned," Luna said. She stood, nodded at the group, and then bounded out the door before anyone could comment.

"There's something she's not telling us," Kunzite spoke for the first time that night. His words left everyone quiet.

* * *

(1) **Senshi's uniforms:** I have made some alterations to the uniforms; they're going to be based a little more on the manga-versions because it makes them more unique. I will probably post a separate chapter in the future with the uniform basics and what additions or changes I made to them.

(2) **Sailor Sun:** in case it's difficult to imagine, try this – Saturn's boots in gold with white laces, a matching gold skirt and collar, her chest and back bows are both white and her chest jewel is a rosy pink. Her tiara is a darker shade of gold than normal and has a gold gem at the point on her forehead. Her hair is in two pigtails on the top of her head, each pigtail has two braids, and falls to her waist.

(3) **Dehenshin**: detransforming, untransforming, dropping the transformation, whatever you want to call it.

(4) **Generals:** information on the Generals' appearance was very hard to dig up. I will be going by the descriptions I found in Takeuchi-sama's art books (I think it was the Materials Collection) and they will also be listed in detail when I do the Senshi's uniforms. I will not be using the Japanese term "Shittenou" only because I'd never remember it, just like I will not be using "Tuxedo Kamen."

(5) **Lolita-style**: For those who may be unfamiliar, this is part of the fashion style and subculture Gothic & Lolita, which originated in Japan, and largely inspired by Victorian children's clothing and the elaborate costumes of the Rococo period. Other influences include the western goth subculture, punk subculture and french maid outfits. Information taken from the Wikipedia Encyclopedia. For more information see: **http://en(.)wikipedia(.)org/wiki/Lolitafashion**

* * *

**THANK YOU EVERYONE!! Given the way my betas have been insisting on Chapter 10 already, I'd say no more than a month before the next update. I also have two little drabbles (that I may or may not use in the actual story) posted up on my LiveJournal (which you can access through my Author Page under my hompage/website). **

**And please, let me know what you think about my fight. It's not the "first" I've ever written, but it's the first I've ever posted. **

**Kuroi Koneko  
**


	10. Memory Fragments

**Chasing the Moon **

**Chapter 10**

"Talking"

_Thoughts_

"_Mind – to – mind"_

* * *

Luna ran from the temple, through the city and down the street to the alley next to the Crown Arcade. Because she obviously couldn't enter the Arcade during open hours, she needed a secondary entrance to the Control Room. Dashing behind a couple of trashcans, Luna squeezed herself through a metal grate in the wall that they guarded. As soon as her tail slipped through the bars, the light from outside the grate was cutoff with a hiss. Luna stood calmly in the dark, waiting for acknowledgement as a beam of red light scanned her still form.

"Enter, Agent Kitty One."

"Thank you," Luna said primly before jumping down into the basement through the new entrance that opened to her.

She darted straight to the Communication and Information console. She accessed the "Senshi" database and scrolled through to an unnamed icon. Clicking on the icon brought up a red "Classified: Access Denied" message. Typing what appeared to be a random sequence of buttons, the red message changed to a green box with "Access Granted" displayed. Several new windows opened up, some displaying pictures of a young and smiling blonde girl, some of a young girl in a Senshi's fuku, and others were without pictures and filled instead with numbers and statistics and statements.

Luna pulled a picture from the back of the screen. The young girl was sitting in a clearing in the park, face and clothes smudged with dirt. She had a giant, happy smile on her face and a tightly squeezed Luna - face not so happy - held under her chin. Luna softly traced the pads of her paw over the child's infectious grin. Shaking her head clear of nostalgic thoughts, she gave a hard sniff before turning to the task at hand. Luna opened a search query engine and typed in "energy recognition: Sailor Moon" and hit ENTER. The system hummed as it processed her request, scanning the auras and energies of everyone in the City.

The computer beeped and a "NO MATCH" popped up after several minutes. The computer beeped again and a follow-up message appeared.

FOUR (4) SIMILARITIES

Luna stared at the blinking "CONTINUE? YES or NO?" icon, paw hovering over the NO. She took a deep breath and lowered her paw.

She watched as the "YES" lit up briefly before skimming to a list of names:

AINO MINAKO.

TEN'OU HARUKA

DIMAKIS LANA

TSUKINO BUNNY

Luna's heart began to race as she read the last name. The first name was different, but wasn't "bunny" just "usagi" in a different language?

Had she found her? Could it really be her little Usagi? Was it even possible? After all, she had felt Sailor Moon's broach break all those years ago. There were few things short of death that could do such a thing, and Usagi was much too young and inexperienced to have encountered such things yet. Beryl's youmas didn't become aggressively active until a few years ago, so the likelihood of a rogue youma battle had been slim.

But not impossible.

"Shimatta!" Luna shouted, paws pounding on the keyboard. The program closed out. Luna started to cry, her fur sticking together in damp clumps as she collapsed onto the floor. "I'm sorry," she whimpered. "Usagi-chan, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left. I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

Even as Luna slipped into trouble dreams, she still continued to cry.

**DREAM**

_"Lunakins!"_

_Luna paused on the sidewalk and tilted her head. Was that...?_

_"Luna! Here kitty!"_

_The voice was closer this time. It was Usagi's voice. Why did she sound so sad? She nearly hit herself as she remembered that she had been doing side-missions for close to two months now and her absence was bound to be noticed eventually. _

_She gave a loud meow, the best she could manage to be heard over sounds of the city. Using the guardrail as a springboard she jumped onto a car-hood and then balanced precariously on a parking meter, meowing as though she were serenading the passersby._

_"LUNA!" Usagi cried happily. There she was, standing across the street. And about to rush over from the looks of it._

_Just as Luna was about to jump down, a harsh wind suddenly blew out of nowhere and the Luna's claws lost their fragile grip and fell off the parking meter –_

_- and right into the busy road._

_A screeching honk and Usagi's terrified cry was the only warning she received before being struck. She felt the impact against her side and then the rough pavement that tore off her fur down to her skin. Her ears ringing and pain engulfing her body, Luna fainted, unseen, beneath the car she had just used as a spring board moments prior._

**END DREAM**

Luna jerked awake, panting heavily, a phantom pain throbbing the one side of her ribs. As she slowly regulated her breathing, the pain dissipated and she closed her eyes again as another memory swept over her.

_Luna woke again to find herself in an unfamiliar, bright yellow room. The second sight to meet her eyes were a pair of bright, intelligent green eyes beneath a gold moon that was a match to her own. She yelped and her body spasmed. A little girl, her waist length blonde hair in a big yellow bow, came charging into the room._

_"Artemis! What did you do?" she yelled at the green eyed, white feline. The cat cringed, made a soft meow, which earned a glare, and slunk out of the room. "It's okay," the blonde whispered to Luna. "He was only curious." She giggled. "You're awfully cute, y'know!"_

Shortly after meeting Artemis and Mina - his young blonde charge - Luna was given a place to stay with the Aino family. She didn't stay often, feeling like an intruder and unable to remain long in the Usagi-like Mina's presence, and so was not upset when the Aino's moved to England. The verification of Artemis as a fellow Mauian feline (1) was a shock though.

Luna was so surprised when he had walked up to her, sighed and said, "I don't know if you understand me or if this is some bizarre coincidence, but I wish you well. I know you won't come with us and I hope you find what you're looking for. Goodbye."

It wasn't until he was walking away he was walking away that Luna regained her senses and her voice. Their brief conversation - Mina was calling for Artemis, the family waiting in the car already - confirmed the bare basics. They were both from the Moon Kingdom and they were both looking for the Senshi to protect the Moon Princess when she was found.

Artemis confided that he thought Mina to be a possible candidate for either position, though he hadn't made any moves yet. Luna gave him a long look and told him to wait for her grow up before saying anything - literally - to her. He gave her a considering look before agreeing and then bounding off to the impatient and now threatening-to-leave-you-behind Mina. After Artemis was settled into England, he set-up a Control Room there through which he and Luna kept in contact.

After several years, as Luna began noticing more and more potential Senshi congregating in Tokyo, she contacted Artemis and told him it might be time to bring forth the Sailor Senshi. Dark Kingdom activity was picking up in increasing frequency.

Shortly after her 15th birthday, Artemis 'revealed' himself to Mina, who took things considerably more calmly than he expected. After nearly a year of intensive training he deemed her ready to return to Japan. Not being able to tell her parents the truth, Artemis used his unique abilities to alter the Aino's perceptions to believe they sent their daughter to Japan to stay with a family friend and finish her schooling in her homeland.

Before Mina's arrival in Japan, Luna stumbled upon another Sailor Senshi.

Mizuno Ami had been a completely accidental discovery. Luna was investigating a surge of negative energy in a local cram school when she came across Ami resisting a youma's energy drain. The brightly glowing sign of Mercury upon the bluenette's forehead made it an easy decision for Luna, who had quickly clawed at the youma's face before leaping to the girl's side and pressing the Mercury Wand upon her. Thus, Sailor Mercury was born.

Ami's meeting with the bubbly-mannered blonde Mina was interesting when compared to the quiet manner of the Ice Senshi. However, Mina's serious attitude and experience as Sailor Venus was both a comfort and a relief for the novice fighter, and the blonde quickly gained her respect.

From there, Luna and Artemis found Senshi and fought the Dark Kingdom youmas. Sailor Pluto was the only Senshi that came to them without discovery. She didn't often speak of her past, but general knowledge of the Time Senshi was that she had always known she was one of the Sailors; despite being the Guardian of Time, her ability to foresee events was severely limited and also something she rarely spoke about. (2)

In the two years Luna and Artemis had worked and trained and befriended the group, Luna never once mentioned the first Senshi she found. She didn't know why she never mentioned Sailor Moon, at first, and then their link broke and she was too heartbroken to share her memory with those who'd never known her ward.

* * *

Later that evening, hours after Luna had abruptly run out on the senshi's meeting, Hotaru yawned as she sat listening to the others still talking around her. Setsuna noticed and gave Michiru a gentle nudge as she nodded in Hotaru's direction. Michiru nodded and went to collect the sleepy-eyed young Senshi. Setsuna stood up and said her goodbyes when everyone turned to her. Michiru bowed and Hotaru nodded her head dazedly in tacit farewells.

Shortly after the trio of Outer Senshi left, Nephrite extended a hand to his counterpart, Makoto, and helped her to her feet.

"If you all will excuse us," he smiled secretly, "we have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow."

"Best of luck with that," Mina said.

"Yeah. It's the 20th annual convention too, isn't it?" Jadeite asked. "There's gotta be a huge amount of food there!" Jadeite's eyes became comically starry as he imagined the theoretical feast.

Ami and Mina laughed at Jadeite's expression, Kunzite suppressed a sigh and averted his eyes, Zoisite shook his head exasperated, and Rei smacked her companion upside the head to snap him out of his delusions.

"It's a Chef's Convention, Jadeite, of course there's gonna be a lot of food!"

Makoto and Nephrite laughed and left the shrine to the well wishes of their friends.

Mamoru sat in silence and listened as the others discussed the battle, the Senshi, and the possible new enemy. When Luna asked Ami to pull up a hologram of the galaxy and corresponding Senshi, he noticed she seemed preoccupied. While he certainly agreed with Kunzite's statement that their long-time advisor wasn't saying something, Mamoru thought there was something… off about the Mercurian diagram.

"Ami-san," Mamoru interrupted the girls' conversation. "Would you mind bringing up that hologram again, please? With all the galaxy's defenders?"

Ami blinked in surprise for a moment. "Of course, Mamoru-san." She nodded and withdrew her mini-computer. Some quick typing and the hologram appeared before them again.

First the sun appeared, then all the planets and their moons in corresponding places. A picture of all the girls hovered over their respective planets. Artemis walked over to examine the system, as did a frowning Zoisite.

"It's incomplete," Artemis murmured in surprise.

"What?" Mina prodded her cat.

"We aren't there," Zoisite said distinctly. "Mamoru, myself and the others. We should appear above Earth, given that we are Her protectors, and yet the Mercury computer has not relayed that input. It's incomplete."

"And Luna saw that?" Kunzite asked. "Saw that we were not shown, but she said nothing about it?"

"Nice to see how highly she thinks of us," Jadeite said sarcastically.

"Maybe not _you_," Rei said as she smacked his arm. "She would have said something though."

"She wasn't looking," Mamoru said as he stared at the system. "Not for us." He looked up at the others.

"For someone else," Kunzite exclaimed softly.

Mina settled next to the first General and gripped his hand as Artemis padded silently closer into the group.

"Who would she be looking for?" Mina asked the white feline.

"Someone she's never mentioned to me," was his solemn reply.

* * *

It was already well into the next day when Haruka awoke, stretching as she remembered the night's events. It had been hours since the battle had ended and the trio of unknown Senshi finished their playful quarrel and sped across the rooftops back to their home. The gold and silver Senshi had followed their taller, navy-clad companion through the aerial maze until they reached an expensive high-rise apartment complex. They paused on top of the building across from it, glancing around in the darkening gloom for any watching eyes, before leaping to a balcony on the top floor and entering quietly. A glance at the kitchen clock had confirmed the late hour and the young women dropped their transformations as they sprawled out in the living room. Eos looked up from her napping place on the couch and ran a critical eye over the three. Satisfied that they were unharmed, she stretched and began shooing them off to bed.

"I've already pulled out your pajamas," she had told Usagi and Lana, "so just change and go to bed. You can unpack and settle in tomorrow."

The two gave feeble protests through frequent yawns, but caved-in when Haruka began to help the feline herd them to bed. The two were sharing a room for the night since the second guestroom was filled with luggage. After they settled into sleep, Eos curled up at the foot of their bed and, with a mumbled goodnight to Haruka, she also fell asleep. Haruka sat at the edge of the bed and watched them sleep, uncaring of how much time had passed, just glad that they were all together again.

With a soft smile, Haruka got out of bed, standing in a full body stretch before moving out to the hallway. After a brief check on the still-sleeping trio in the guest bedroom, she entered the kitchen and set a kettle of water to heat for tea before grabbing the supplies for coffee. She grabbed the flavored bag of ground beans from the freezer and a filter from the cabinet next to coffee machine, which she placed into the top of the machine. Pulling out the glass pot from the machine, she filled it with water to the "8" line, then poured the water into the back section of the machine. Haruka measured out the appropriate amount of coffee which she dumped into filter, closed all the lids, put the pot on the heating pad, and flipped the "on" switch. Reaching into the cabinet above, she pulled out a small box filled with various tea bags which she set down on the counter.

Satisfied that the morning wake-up calls were heating, Haruka wandered into the living room where she put on soft instrument music before sprawling out on the floor like a starfish.

With the familiar sounds of Kaioh Michiru's playing drifting through the room, Haruka reviewed the unexpectedly busier-than-planned day that she'd had yesterday.

**(flashback to prior day)**

Haruka drove down the busy street, weaving in and out of traffic and cursing the slower drivers as she glanced at the clock again.

"C'mon, c'mon! I'm already late! Kuso! Please, Kami-sama, let their flight be delayed. Even a little bit will help," Haruka honked her horn impatiently. "Move it!" she screamed. Another glance at the dashboard clock, another curse, and she revved the engine. She bolted over the median, sped past the line of cars on her left and swerved into an open space just as a car came speeding down towards her with horns blaring.

Haruka stuck a single-fingered salute out the window.

A few more harrowing car stunts and Haruka made it safely to the airport. And without a single flashing light behind her the entire trip either. She smirked and thought, _Damn, I'm good._

Haruka reached into the glove compartment and pulled out a baseball cap - which she placed on her head backwards - and a pair of amber-tinted sunglasses. She opened her door, grabbed her red leather jacket, closed the door, locked her car, and sauntered into the bustling airport. As she smoothly weaved in between groups of people, she smirked at all the giggles and whispers she could hear around her.

"Oh my god, look! He's so handsome!"

"He's so tall! Isn't that such a turn-on?"

"He looks so good in that jacket. Leather, yum!"

"Do you think he's a dyed-blonde?" "No way! Does that look like a bottle-blonde to you? Au naturale, my friend!"

That comment actually made Haruka pause, turn and catch the girls' eyes, wink, and smirk at the reflexive blushing. As soon as she turned away to start walking again, she could hear them burst out into giggles and "Oh my god!"s and "Did you see that?"s. It made her chuckle.

Finally arriving at the right terminal, and exceedingly relieved to see that it's passengers were just disembarking, Haruka took up residence against the more secluded side of a pillar and waited for her company to appear. She didn't have to wait long. Shortly after she got comfortable, two blondes - one a silvery-blond and the other with red-and-pink streaked blonde hair - came out and started looking around. The color-infused blonde pointed a hand in Haruka's direction, her shorter companion bouncing up and down trying to see through the crowd of people. Haruka smiled a little at the obvious disagreement the two were having before they both looked sheepishly down at the animal carrier the light blonde was holding. Suddenly -

"KAZE-CHAN!!!" the lighter blonde yelled out. Everyone stopped and stared at the pair. The girl's companion blushed a bright red that matched the streaks in her hair, while her obviously excited companion remained unaffected by the mass attention.

Haruka smiled and walked over to the pair.

"Hiya, Usagi-chan! Lana-chan! Welcome to Japan!" Haruka leaned down and gently grabbed the animal cage from Usagi. "And hello to you too, Eos," Haruka said to the frazzled-looking feline inside.

"Hello, Haruka. Nice to see you again. Would you mind getting us out of here now? The girls need to rest and adjust to the time difference before school starts next week," Eos whispered, looking calmer now that Usagi was no longer in possession of her cage. Haruka nodded and straightened up.

"Come on, you two. I have news about Tokyo you'll all want to hear."

"Oh?" Lana and Usagi chorused.

Haruka nodded and then extended her arms out to the two. Lana took the cage from Haruka and held it in front of her with both arms after looping an arm through Haruka's. Usagi took the other side and Haruka escorted them to the baggage claim.

"What kind of news, Haru-chan?" Lana asked after moments of silence.

"The kind not meant for public ears," Haruka replied.

Usagi and Lana both stiffened slightly and became serious.

"We'd best get our things and go home then, ne?" Usagi asked rhetorically. "We have news of our own, as well."

"So, should I ask why Ozzy is in a cage?" Haruka broke into the serious silence.

Eos growled from her confined space.

"Cheaper," was the reply. Ozzy growled louder as the girls burst into giggles during their retelling of how they got their feline companion into the carrier.

After collecting all of the necessary luggage and piling it onto a cart, the threesome headed out to where Haruka parked the car. They loaded her trunk, dropped off the cart at a collection rack, and piled into the car. Lana opened the cage door and let Eos jump out to freedom before she vanished the cage into her sub-space pocket.

Haruka, watching her through the rear-view mirror, threw out a question.

"Why couldn't you have done that for all your luggage?"

Eos, jumping to the front of the car and settling into the empty passenger seat, gave a long-winded reply about dimensions and cross-energies and matter variations. Rolling her eyes, Haruka gave Eos a look and asked for laymen's terms. Eos heaved a sigh.

"Two teenaged girls on a trip to Japan for an indefinite stay with little to no luggage would look suspicious."

"Ah. Why didn't you just say so in the first place, Ozzy?"

Eos sighed again, then curled into a ball for a catnap.

The trio and feline finally arrived at their destination: an expensive, high-rise apartment complex. Lana and Usagi glance at each other and then broke into identical excited grins.

"SUGOI!" they squealed. Beside them, Haruka flinched and nearly dropped the luggage on the rosy-furred feline crouched at her feet with ears pressed flat against her head.

"If that's the reaction to the building, I dread to hear the noise they'll make when they see the interior," Haruka grumbled. Still grouched at her feet, Eos made a noise. "C'mon, you two. Grab a bag! We can do this in one trip if you help."

Usagi and Lana broke apart from their happy bubble and went to help their friend with the luggage. Escorting the sparkly-eyed blondes inside, Haruka led them to the front desk.

"Good afternoon, sir. May I help you?" the curly-haired receptionist asked with a flirty smile.

Usagi and Lana shared a grin. Haruka leaned an arm on the counter and gave her a matching grin.

"Absolutely," Haruka replied, not correcting her mistake. "You're new here, aren't you?"

The receptionist blushed and nodded. Lana and Usagi repressed their snickers. Eos, sitting forgotten on the tiled floor, rolled her eyes and proceeded to clean a paw. If Haruka was in flirt mode, this would take a while. Haruka smiled and picked up one of her hands, bringing it to her lips.

"My name," she pressed a kiss onto her skin, "is Haruka. I'm the tenant in room 1048. My sisters from overseas are going to be staying with me now." She nodded to the red-faced girls behind her. "I'll need the two spares keys I set aside for them, if you'd be so kind as to get them for me?" Haruka ran her thumb over the flushed-face receptionist's knuckles.

She giggled, dreamy-eyed, and started to stand up. Her stumble against her chair woke her from her daze.

"Oh!" She flushed a dull red, embarrassed. "Ahem. I'll need to see some ID, please." She sat back down and turned to the computer at her right. "What room did you say it was?"

Someone let out a snicker and Haruka turned to send a glare.

"1048," she said, turning back with a quirky grin.

There was a moment of silence as the young woman typed and Haruka pulled her driver's license from her wallet.

"All right," the receptionist said at last. "Ten'ou Haruka, room 1048. Two spares for additional occupants," she recited.

Turning to face Haruka, she smiled and held out a hand. Haruka handed her license over, returning the smile with a wink that made her blush. A passing glance at the picture and the name and it was handed back to the owner. Meeting Haruka's bright eyes and smile caused another blush to rise. The receptionist got up and quickly walked through the door behind her and came out again shortly afterward with two identical keys in had.

"H-Here you are," she handed the keys over. She bowed to cover her glowing face. "Have a nice day!"

Haruka smirked, amused. "Thank you. You as well." She pocketed the keys and, motioning the duo muffling their snickers behind her to follow, began to head to the elevators. "See you around, cutie!" Haruka tossed out as the elevator doors closed. The elevator's _ding_ matched the girl's squeak.

As soon as the elevator began moving, Usagi and Lana burst out into laughter. Haruka merely smirked at the duo – which sent them into another fit of laughter – and leaned against the mirrored wall. Eos leapt onto the luggage and frowned at her girls.

"That is enough laughing, I think. Really now, it wasn't even that funny." Eos huffed and turned to the smirking racer. "One day, you're going to be discovered. Whatever will you're _adoring_ fans do then?" she snapped sarcastically.

"Aww," Lana cooed. "I think someone needs a nap."

Almost immediately, Usagi yawned. Eos sniffed imperiously and leveled a look.

"Indeed."

Haruka straightened as they reached the tenth floor and the doors opened. She grabbed a couple of suitcases, dislodging Eos from her perch in the process, and walked out, leaving Lana and Usagi to scurry after her. Eos leapt nimbly out the doors and trotted down the hall after Haruka.

"Hey, wait up!" they cried.

After settling into the apartment, the group congregated in the spacious but sparsely decorated living room. They sat in quiet, munching on their snacks as they relaxed with one another. Eos leapt onto the back of the well-creased couch and settled in view between Usagi and Haruka.

"So," Lana started from her curled up position on a chair. "What's this news that's got you so serious?"

Haruka leaned back a bit, sipping on her tea as she thought.

"We were already aware that Tokyo had Senshi?" Haruka paused until everyone confirmed the knowledge. "It looks like everyone has been collected. They're all here."

"Have you contacted them?" Eos interrupted. Haruka shook her head 'no.' "Why not?"

Haruka raised an eyebrow and just _looked_ at the feline.

"Because, while the enemy they are currently fighting is an old one from the Silver Millennium, they have been fighting on their own just fine these past two years." She looked pointedly at Usagi on the other end of the couch. "And I've had more important things to focus on."

"Damn straight!" Lana popped out.

Haruka, Usagi, and Eos turned to look at her. Lana blushed to match her red streaks.

"Hey, stop staring!" she huffed. "Priorities are priorities. The Crystal, OUR enemies, and then…" she grimaced and waved her hands, spreading crumbs. "You know."

"Mm," Eos hummed. She turned back to Haruka. "So they are unaware of you?"

"As far as I can tell," Haruka shrugged. "No one's come seeking me out, at least."

"What do you think of them?" Usagi asked softly, gazing into her teacup as though it would show her the future.

"Yeah. What are they like?" Lana asked with an eager smile.

Haruka looked out the window behind Lana.

"They've been fighting the same fights long enough that they're running on autopilot. It's still a challenge, but they generally know what to expect. The Prince fights with them –" she ignored Usagi's noise "- and so are the Shitennou. Although," she smirked, "they still do battle with Beryl's replicas of the Shitennou."

"Replicas?" Lana interrupted. "They still battle against Beryl? For _two years?_" Haruka nodded. "Why haven't they confronted her yet?!"

"They're afraid," Usagi said. "She's their only link, and that gives them something to focus on."

"Well, considering the Clan's expansion, they're about to have something new to focus on."

"No," Usagi said vehemently. "Let them focus on Beryl," she said to their looks.

"Why not, Bunny?"

"Time to adjust," Eos realized. "Haruka made a point – they are accustomed to Beryl's manner of attack. The Clan is rather more… sophisticated in their methods by comparison." Eos sighed then tensed.

A split second later, the three blondes did as well as a familiar sweep of energy brushed their sixth sense.

"Looks like we'll find out just how well they'll fare after all," Lana commented as she rose from her overstuffed chair.

Reaching around her neck, Lana pulled out from under her shirt a gold-chained pendant (3). Grasping the gold nugget in her hands, she removed it from the chain to cup it in both hands. As she said her transformation phrase, the baby-fist sized nugget melted in her hands and began to glow a golden yellow. The liquid gold rose into the air and formed an open circle above Lana. Directly in the center, and above her head, was a disc of blinding energy. The Sun symbol hovered above Lana's nude form a moment before the gold circlet sprouted gold ribbons that encased her. A flash of blinding light and a gold Senshi stood in place of Lana.

Haruka had also stood up, pulling her navy blue wand from thin air. As the Uranus symbol began to glow in the gold orb ob top of the wand, a matching twin symbol shone from Haruka's forehead. As her clothes faded after she shouted her transformation phrase, a burst of light flowed from her wand. Haruka gripped the wand tighter and swung it around in a horizontal arc. As a glowing circle that followed the wand's path and formed beneath her feet was completed, a column of amber energy rose up from it and concealed Haruka from view before pouring inside from the top. A flare of light and the navy Senshi of Uranus stood in Haruka's place.

Taking a deep breath, Usagi also rose up from her seat and pulled out a pendant similar to Lana's. The pendant was small, silver, and flat with a sideways crescent moon etched on the front. She held it aloft and cried out her phrase. White and silver crescent moons burst from the pendant and gently cascaded around her as her clothes dissolved into silver sparkles. Larger moons drifted around her, attaching to each other as they tightened on her body and formed her fuku. A final, single, crescent – this one as large as she – spun in circles around her and revealed the final silver-clad Senshi in Usagi's place.

Eos, having watched from her standing position, nodded at the three Senshi before her.

"Be careful," she warned.

"Always," they chorused. Walking to the balcony behind the gold Sailor Sun, they opened the glass doors and leapt out into the growing night.

----------------

The three Senshi arrived at the site in time to watch a woman in an outrageous pink and purple outfit vanish in black flames. In her place was a large, black egg that faintly pulsed with malevolent energy. Just as the pulsing quickened, the three Senshi leaped off the ground to a higher vantage point and the egg sent out a wave of negative black energy shortly after.

"Shimatta!" the navy Sailor Uranus scowled, watching the unaware people suddenly collapse where they stood. Attention returning to the egg, she growled and clenched her fists as she watched it 'hatch.'

A fine black mist crept out of the fragments and slithered across the ground. Every fallen civilian it touched gave a cry, shuddered, grew pale and stilled. The golden Sailor Sun clenched her fists before shaking the tension out of them. She gave a sharp clap, an eerie sound in the unnatural silence, and drew them apart. A thin gold line spread between her gloved palms and she tossed it away from her into the mist. The bright gold thread raced through it in every direction until it hit the outer edges; from there it formed a gold barrier the mist thrashed against, but could not pass through.

Sailor Uranus and the silver Sailor Crescent Moon exchanged looks when Sailor Sun growled and stepped forward.

"Problems?" Uranus whispered theatrically to Crescent Moon.

"Just the usual," Crescent Moon responded in kind.

Sailor Sun turned and shot the pair a nasty glare. Uranus smirked and mock-bowed, her 'all yours' gesture drawing a stifled laugh from Crescent Moon at her side. When Sailor Sun turned her focus to the silver fighter the snickering ceased.

"Ahem," Crescent Moon coughed. "After you, Sol," she placated. "We'll just watch from over there." She started backing away, Uranus one step ahead and already waiting on a rooftop. "Call if you need us!" She leapt away before Sol could retaliate.

Sol grumbled before turning back to the mist. She jumped down and walked cautiously through the mist to the egg fragments. Nudging a large piece with her boot, the piece melted into ooze. She quickly leaped back as the other remnants followed suit. Coagulating into a single puddle of ooze, the muck began to bubble and take form. As it grew bigger and more solid, the black mist grew darker and denser. A muffled scratching sound came from every direction around her.

"The bodies are being moved!" came Crescent Moon's voice.

"You're being made a target, Sunshine!" came Uranus's. Was she laughing?

The black muck shot a gooey spear at her and Sailor Sun dodged to the side. A second and third had her dodging left and right as she moved back. A forth and fifth nearly had her running into the other still-extended spears.

_Cage!_ Her mind screamed.

The sixth spear – more solid than the others had been – forced her to leap above it to a nearby store rooftop.

A snap of cloth to her left had Sailor Sun tensing. A group of Senshi and men – the Shitennou, she recalled – were leaping on a nearby roof above her. Sun dropped to the ground out of sight range and dashed to her companions.

"Well,damn, our turn already?" Sailor Uranus remarked. "I was just getting comfortable."

"Company," Sailor Sun whispered, gesturing across the mist-filled plaza.

The three crept stealthily to the building's edge and peekedover. There on the ground were the "other" Senshi and Shitennou. Crescent Moon's grip visibly tightened on the ledge, the edges threatening to crumble beneath the superhuman grip. Uranus put her hand over the tense fingers.

"_Wait,"_ she whispered without sound. (4)

"_See how they fare,"_ Sun echoed her earlier words.

The two felt a wave of jumbled emotions flood their link with the silver-blonde Senshi between them. They sent back ripples of warmth, trust, comfort, and conviction. Slowly, Crescent Moon relaxed.

"_If it's too much…"_ she started.

"_I will step in," _Sol finished for her. _"The area already bears my energy. One new thing at a time, right?"_

As Sailor Crescent Moon nodded, still worried but more reassured now, the trio turned to watch the battle.

**(end prior day's flashback)**

Haruka, coming back to herself on the floor, sighed tiredly _Things are going to pick up a lot, now that Usagi is settling back in to Tokyo. With all three of us here now, we won't be able to keep such a tight wrap on our energy once it seeps into the area._ Hearing the kettle began to whistle, she sat up and ran a hand through her short-cropped hair.

"Well," she sighed, "we can't stay away from them forever, can we?" Standing up, she walked back into the kitchen. She paused a moment in the doorway, staring thoughtfully as she spied the cat carrier sitting in the hall by the front door. "Poor Ozzy. She really didn't stand a chance against the two of them." She smirked, walking over to turn off the stove as she moved the impatient kettle just as Usagi and Lana stumbled into the room with bleary eyes and yawns.

* * *

Kuso: shit 

Sugoi: Awesome, terrific, amazing, great

Shimatta: damn it

senshi: when I use this in the lowercase, it is meant to be a broad reference to both the Senshi and the Shitennou as the word also means "warriors" (or something to that effect). K?

(1) If I remember correctly, the "Lunar" cat-advisors were from a planet of felines called "Mau." I think it was supposed to be a pun on the sounds cats make.

(2) XD, I actually wrote a little drabble about this which is posted in my LiveJournal. It turned out more serious than I had intended, but it may help put into perspective a few things. Or not.

(3) I realize that in chapter 4(?) Lana used a wand for her transformation. I will explain the difference in devices later on, but for now, think of it as part of her "upgrade."

(4) The three of them have a special bond that allows them to speak telepathically to one another. The "ability" is also possible between certain others, although they may not know it.

* * *

**I am sad to say, but for the next couple weeks/months this story will be on the backburner. I'm going to be focusing my attention to a major revision of Lady Robin Hood (which is in desperate need of help). I will still be writing little segments of this story, but my focus will not be on it.**

**For those of you who have read LRH, I think it sux to what it could be. For those who haven't, DON'T! Compared to what you've seen here in CtM, my writing in LRH is so juvenile it's shameful. Thus the rehaul.**

**Thanx for all your support and keep an eye on my LJ, little things tend to pop up there every now and again!**


	11. Prelude

**Chasing the Moon**

**NOTES: Thank you everyone for reading this so far. Unexpectedly, this story decided to alter its predetermined course on me and so I'm moving into "uncharted" territory. Things may be a little slow as far as updates considering the original 23 chapters I had all planned out are pretty much being scrapped. Things are becoming a bit more complex than I anticipated... blame it on the betas.**

**Chapter 12 is being written, but don't expect it soon. With May coming up just next week and all the big movies coming out (Spiderman, Shrek, Pirates) work is gonna attempt to drown me. AND I'm housing sitting for two weeks and my brother is coming up for a week on military leave before he's likely to be shipped off in a few months. Point is, things are going to be getting a little crazy, but things are in the works.**

**Promise.**

**Now, the notes are far too long and I'm sure most people skip right over them, but thank you for reading them if you have. **

* * *

**  
Chapter 11: Prelude**

Mamoru stood on his balcony and watched as the moon set gave way to the sunrise. He ignored the cool breeze drifting by his high-rise apartment despite his minimal attire.

_Who are you? Why are you here?_ More questions about the new Senshi they had encountered several days ago circled his head. One question nagged at him incessantly, despite having no foundation.

_How are you connected to Serenity?_

The sun having now crested and sitting on the horizon during his internal deliberation, Mamoru turned to go inside. He grabbed a shirt at random and shrugged it on over his sleep attire as he walked into the kitchen and began to prepare for his day.

Several hours later he met up with Kunzite and Jadeite outside their University. After their usual good mornings Jadeite launched into his rant.

"Damn, Professor Zuko is impossible! She gave us two weeks to write our paper – _two weeks_ – and it has to be a full 15 pages not including the citations _plus_ we have to study for that exam next week too!" Jadeite panted a moment and Kunzite exchanged a look with Mamoru before they began to slowly inch away from their crazy-eyed companion. They left Jadeite ranting to empty air – not that he noticed in his full-steam-ahead mode – and hurried off to their business class.

Jadeite scrambled through the door just before the lecture began and gave his blank-faced friends a dirty scowl as he settled into his seat, promptly ignoring them for the rest of the hour.

Classes ended for the day and Jadeite was still in a sulky silence. Kunzite sighed mock-depressingly as he realized his flatmate would continue his tantrum even after they arrived at the suite he and the Shitennou shared. Mamoru merely laughed at his stoic friend, patting him on the back as he walked in the opposite direction.

Kunzite and Jadeite separated for their part time jobs and Mamoru walked into the Crown Arcade to catch up with his friend Motoki as he waited for the girls to get out of high school. He listened as Motoki chattered about the last couple of days – schoolwork, his job, Unazaki's newest boyfriend (of whom he hadn't met yet), his girlfriend Reika, the latest gossip about the Senshi and Shitennou. Mamoru hid a smile in his coffee mug as his friend rambled on about the Senshi.

The door chimed and Motoki called out a greeting and Mamoru turned at the familiar names.

A chorus of "hello, Mamoru-san" rang out as the group of girls caught sight of the dark-haired prince. Mamoru nodded and greeted each politely. The five girls settled into a booth in the back, Mamoru following a moment later after he refilled his mug. He settled next to a happily chatting Mina. Shortly after he had gotten comfortable, Zoisite and Nephrite walked in and made a beeline for the back booth. Ami stood up from her seat next to Makoto and allowed Nephrite to slide in next to his girlfriend before seating herself again, Zoisite sliding in after her.

"- got this really cute outfit for tonight. So is everyone looking forward to it?" Mina paused – for once – as she looked at everyone.

Rei smiled indulgently at the blonde before answering for everyone.

"Of course we are, Mina-chan. Who doesn't look forward to one of Michiru-san's concerts?"

Mina pouted at the priestess before starting her excited chatter again. After a few more minutes of Mina's ramblings and the various side conversations, the group of eight all got up and left the arcade to prepare for the evening.

"Don't forget," Mina said softly before the group parted. "Tonight, after the concert. Gentlemen, will you be transporting?" To the unfamiliar, Mina seemed unusually serious, but the others knew better. The men nodded and everyone split up.

* * *

Eos watched as Lana and Usagi darted between each other's bedrooms, trying to make the "perfect" outfit for tonight. She sighed, annoyed, as yet another wayward article was thrown on top of her. Did she look like a clothes hamper? 

_Whump._

"Bunny! Have you seen my gold-screened shirt?" Lana yelled from Usagi's bedroom.

"Don't think so. But I wouldn't recommend it, anyway!" Usagi yelled back from Lana's bedroom.

Lana rushed back to her bedroom, shirts and skirts and pants flying in her wake.

_Whump!_

Beneath the ever-growing mound, Eos developed an ear-and-tail twitch. As the pile grew heavier yet again, her whiskers and a paw began a counter-twitch. When air became a scarce commodity, she let out a roar worthy of a lion, and burst from the cavern of clothing. The sudden spray of clothing from the couch startled the two girls in midroom-dash, their startled shriek hidden beneath the roar. It was then that Haruka walked in. Haruka stopped and took stock of the situation: Usagi and Lana stood in the open hallway, hands clutching the other with startled and frightened expressions, clad in bras and bottoms; clothes everywhere and a few random pieces still falling; and Eos, panting heavily, tail straight out, fangs bared, fur standing on end, and growling violently enough to replace a vibrator.

Haruka blinked, took one look at the malicious gleam in the riled feline's eyes, and walked calmly into her room. The soft _thunk_ and the _click_ of the lock seemed to animate everyone in the room again. Eos let out another roar and leapt for the cowering girls who let out another set of shrieks and bolted for the closest room. They slammed the door shut, and then the door rattled with a loud _thud._ There was complete silence for a long shocked moment before the two girls burst into laughter.

From inside the safety of her room, Haruka shook her head as she adjusted the tie of her suit. Cracking open her door she could hear Eos yelling and ranting at the hiding pair, and the girls' muffled apologies and laughter. Opening her door a little wider, she yelled over the screams that she was leaving in 10 minutes with or without them. The announcement sent the girls into a rush of movement – and poor Ozzy once again became a casualty of fashion. Heaving a sigh, the cat resignedly crawled out and went to hide under the relative safety of the couch.

When the sounds of frantic dressing stopped, Eos and Haruka emerged from their respective sanctuaries; one covered in splotches of gray dust bunnies and the other in a masculinizing black dress shirt and pants, accented by a satin sky blue tie. Haruka caught sight of Eos's new gray patches and started poking fun at her. Lana and Usagi emerged from their respective bedrooms and stood amused at the sight of a small gray-speckled pink cat chasing around a tall fair-haired male.

"Haruka?" the two chorused in shock.

Haruka stopped and turned towards them with a smug smirk. Her smirk quickly turned into a grimace when Eos lunged and sank her claws into Haruka's ankles with a growl.

"Ow." Harka looked down with a glare at the feline using her leg as an impromptu scratch post. "O-ow," she said again, drawing out the sound. Eos ignored her. Haruka shook the cat-attached leg to no affect. At seeing Eos bounce around so, Lana and Usagi let out their suppressed giggles and Haruka transferred her glare to them.

Lana managed to control herself first and walked over to the pair. Carefully kneeling down in her ankle length skirt, Lana gently disengaged Eos's claws from Haruka's pants and ankles.

"Now, Oz-Oz, play nice," Lana mock-lectured, wagging finger and all. "Besides, if you ruffle Ruka-chan, she'll have to straighten up and you _know_ she takes _forever_ and we're already gonna be late." Eos pouted – as best as a cat could – but reluctantly disengaged her claws.

Eos settled down and then looked over her wards.

Usagi stood by the entrance hall, her hair shining like platinum under the lights. Her hair was put up in her typical twin buns, but her streamers had been braided and twisted around them into an elegant sort of crown, the excess hair streaming partway down her back in a silky veil. She wore a white, two piece pantsuit; a long sleeved mandarin-styled shirt with silver cording, her pants had wide legs that gave the illusion of a skirt shot through with silver thread that shone when the light caught them. Her makeup was minimal but dramatic: a dark gray eye shadow for a smoky eye effect and a pale pink satin sheen lipstick. Being limited in finances, she wore simple silver chandelier earrings that hit just below her chin and a silver beaded bracelet.

"You look lovely, Usagi," Eos said proudly. Then she turned her attention to Lana who now stood several feet away, putting the finishing touches on her look.

Lana stood in front of the living room mirror, her reflection revealing that she wore a strapless, rosy pink gown that matched almost exactly the color of Eos's fur. The high cut of the bodice was offset by a gold ribbon along the hem and a low waistline seam that was marked by a gold-corded belt; the two ends of the belt fell to the hem of the skirt. Her black based shoes were clearly visible, as well as the rosy straps that kept them on her feet and a simple gold anklet. Her pink and red streaked blonde hair fell in curls and waves down her back, but was held off her face with concealed clips and bobby pins. Her makeup was a bright white eye shadow and a gold-sheen gloss. She wore no earrings, and a simple unadorned black ribbon as a choker.

"And you, Lana, look like quite the lady," Eos commented.

"For once," Haruka mumbled. At Lana's glare, she smiled innocently.

"Can we go now?" Usagi asked impatiently, her black-heeled boots tapping audibly.

Lana and Haruka laughed, gathered their coats, and met Usagi at the door. A quick "behave" at their Companion and the trio finally left for the concert.

"Peace and quite at last!" Eos cried joyfully. She leapt onto an armchair and settled for a nap.

Shortly afterward, banging and laughing and loud music could be clearly heard from the suite apartment across the hall.

Eos groaned and buried herself under a pile of clothes.

* * *

Mamoru, the Senshi, and the Shitennou all milled around Michiru's backstage dressing room, waiting for the world-renowned violinist to return from the final curtain call. They had split into smaller groups, conversing quietly amongst each other. After a short wait, Michiru walked into the room and set down her violin in its case with a fond smile. 

"Konba'wa, minna," (1) she said politely as she bowed to everyone. "I hope you enjoyed the show?"

"Really, Michiru-san," Mina sent her a jovial smile, "after we've known one another so long, there's no need to be so formal!"

Michiru gave a warmer smile at the blonde's words and the agreement of the others. Hotaru walked over and wrapped her small arms around Michiru's waist.

"You were beautiful, Michiru-mama," Hotaru said as she snuggled into Michiru's embrace. She pulled back slightly and looked up. "Why was it sad?"

"Sad, Hotaru-chan?" Setsuna spoke up from the back.

"We thought her playing was moving as always," Zoisite added.

Michiru smiled again. "If it was sad, Hota-koi, I did not intend it to be so. Now, if we are all still awake enough, shall – "

A knock on the closed door diverted everyone's attention as silence abruptly descended.

"Kaioh-san?" a young girl's voice came from the other side of the door.

"Ah, come in, Teniko-san," Michiru called out.

A small, lavender-haired girl who looked no older than 12, stumbled into the room with a large bouquet of bronze calla lilies and a smaller bunch of white jasmine blossoms.

"These are for you, Kaioh-san," Teniko said, blushing as she noticed all the people in the room looking at her. She gently laid down the flowers, handed Michiru the card that came with them, and felt after a polite bow to the room's occupants.

After the door clicked shut, all the girls – even the shy Ami and more reserved Setsuna – burst into chatter about who sent the quiet and reserved musician the flowers. The men kept back as the girls 'oohed' and 'aahed' and caressed the flowers.

"You know," Jadeite idly said to the others, "I think I'm actually jealous of the floral attention."

"And how is that a surprise?" Mamoru commented dryly. Jadeite responded with an indignant 'hey!'

Nephrite stepped in before Jadeite through a tantrum, with Zoisite and Kunzite quietly watching in amusement.

"So what does it say," Nephrite called out to the entranced girls.

His comment caused another flurry of activity as Michiru was now being encouraged to open and read out loud the sender's note. Blushing, she opened it and read the note silently first. Her blush abruptly vanished and her normally fair complexion paled.

"What's wrong, Michiru-san?" Rei asked concernedly.

Michiru cleared her throat and read aloud.

" 'Greater than the Ocean's depths,  
a simple token of affection from Heaven  
who passes along greetings from the Day and Night.  
Great expectations for your next performance.'"

Michiru put down the card next to the flowers. "There's more than Sailor Sun," she murmured into the silence.

"I think it's time for that meeting now," Mamoru suggested.

Everyone nodded, quietly gathered their belongings, and left. Michiru held tightly onto her violin and the flowers, an unfamiliar feeling tugging at her heart.

* * *

"Wow!" Usagi gushed. "That was incredible! She was just amazing!" 

"I know!" Lana gushed too. "It was like you could _see_ the music!"

"Like embracing the ocean," Haruka added, crossing the room and removing her tie.

Usagi and Lana exchanged glances. Usa neatly hung her jacket and crossed over to Haruka standing in the moonlight streaming in from the window. She snaked her arms around Haruka's hips and leaned her cheek against the quiet racer's back.

"I know, Kaze-chan, I know." Usagi tightened her embrace. "They're not ready. It's hard, I _know_, but it'd do more harm than good before the Trials."

"They could fail," Haruka countered sharply, fists clenching and body tensing further.

"Do you really believe that?" Usagi countered back softly. "They don't know what's coming, they're still… stuck in a rut, so to speak. We must have faith in them, Kaze-chan." Usagi tightened her hug again. "We will watch and we will guide. We can even intervene to a point," Usagi nuzzled her face into Haruka's slowly relaxing back now, her voice thickening. "We must believe they are strong enough."

Haruka sighed and turned in Usagi's embrace, wrapping her arms around the petite blonde as she relaxed completely. Haruka met Lana's eyes over Usagi's head as Lana crossed the room to sandwich-hug Usagi.

"That which does not kill you, makes you stronger," Lana whispered comfortingly. "They have a lot of strength in them to temper."

The three blondes all sighed before letting a comfortable silence envelope them.

"Hey," one of them said minutes later, "where'd Ozzy go?" (::please see end notes::)

* * *

"Sisters, assemble!" a tall, spiky haired man called from his place in the shadows. 

Four women who bore little resemblance to each other – other than their eccentric taste in clothes – materialized together in the center of a large and mostly empty chamber. Surrounding them were a dozen black-surfaced mirrors, one of which the man stepped out from behind.

"Tell me, Sisters," the man began slowly, "how it is managed that a team of extensively studied weaklings could overcome one of your carefully crafted droids(2)?" His voice grew louder and faster with his agitation, black flames and shadows flickering around his frame. "They should not have been any hindrance to your conversions! So tell me why both droid and egg was destroyed by these nothings!"

Three of the Sisters cowered before him in the face of his wrath while the fourth gritted her teeth and tried not to look so afraid. One of the cowering Sisters, her long hair a dark lilac that matched the spiky tutu skirt she wore over a dark pink bodysuit, stepped forward hesitantly.

"What, Katzy?" the man snapped at her.

Katzy flinched at his tone but stood still.

"Rubeus, it wasn't our fault!" she whimpered.

"Yours, you mean," one of the others muttered scornfully.

"Shut up, Avery. You made them!" Katzy snapped back.

"Enough!" Rubeus roared. They all cowered more as his aura flared menacingly. "Katzy, you were supposed to _stay_ and watch over the egg, to make sure nothing disturbed it while it rooted and buried. Your negligence lost His Majesty a valuable egg!" Rubeus raised a hand and allowed his aura to condense around it in black fire.

"No! They're here!" Katzy cried as she dropped to her knees and cowered defensively.

Rubeus paused and lowered his hand slowly, the fire still dancing around his fingers menacingly. Katzy, realizing nothing had happened yet, looked up into the calculating countenance of her leader.

"They defeated the droid, but it was a simple one, and then the egg hatched. They were losing, they were! Sailor Sun came out of nowhere though, and helped them. If it wasn't for her they'd be fertilizing claimed ground by now. I swear! And where that Sun-brat goes, the others are surely with her, too."

Rubeus remained silent and still for a long, drawn-out moment.

"Go!" he suddenly barked out at them.

The four women each fled to a dark-surfaced mirror closest to her, and at their touch each mirror suddenly reflected a different room before they fled through the mirrors' surface and they grew dark again. Standing alone in the Room of Mirrors, Rubeus touched his still-flaming hand to the mirror closest to him. Laying his hand flat on the glass, he let the fire engulf the surface and called out a name.

"Wiseman."

After a moment, his flames abruptly extinguished and an image not his own appeared in the mirror. The figure floated in darkness, a dark robe covering the body from head to seated feet, and only the masculine voice and decrepit hands gave hint to what lay beneath the concealment. The floating crystal orb that often accompanied it was absent.

"What is it, Rubeus?" the dark and chilling voice inquired emotionlessly.

"I was assured, Wiseman," Rubeus sneered, "that the senshi(3) of Tokyo were both weaker than the Trio and unprotected by them."

"That is correct. Their abilities have registered below the strengths of the three we had first encountered here on Earth. Infiltrating the energy spots here will be easier than those on the mirroring side of the planet. The three have no need to be here when Tokyo already has its own defenders. And they are preoccupied here, as well." Wiseman's neutral tone slid into boredom, as though he had reiterated this same speech to another often.

"Then please explain to me why one of them was encountered here!" Rubeus waved sharply at the opposite mirrors, which flared briefly with black flames, and began to replay the final moments of the recent battle. It started with the child-youma that had hatched from the disrupted egg and played through to Sailor Sun's intervention and the youma's eventual demise. "And where Sun is, the Moon follows," Rubeus paraphrased from the Sister, the images fading away.

Wiseman said nothing as his skin-distorted hands emerged from beneath his robes and the gray hued crystal ball appeared between them. Rubeus hid his cringe at the sight of Wiseman's light-rippling skin and avoided looking at the crystal ball entirely. There was something inherently disturbing about the sight of those unnatural hands intimately caressing the dead sphere.

"I will look into this," Wiseman said, a flicker of amusement in the voice before he faded quickly from the mirror. "Do nothing until instructed otherwise," came the disembodied voice dismissively.

Rubeus shook the hand that had touched the mirror disgustedly, sneered at the blank-faced glass, and then stalked away into the shadows.

* * *

A man sat half concealed in shadow, his pale hair and clothes reflecting the dim light and appearing to glow on its own. He twirled a glass of red liquid lazily in one hand as he listened to a darker-looking young man reading a report. 

"The egg we entrusted to Rubeus has been destroyed. The protective droid sent with it didn't collect enough energy to bury it completely and it hatched prematurely. The Nightmare inside it was unable to merge with the location and was destroyed after the droid. The site is now useless to us as a point of penetration and foundation." He paused and looked up from the report. "Prince, it was noted that Sailor Sun assisted the destruction of the premature hatchling."

The hand and liquid stilled.

"There has still been no sightings of Sailor Uranus for some time now and Sailor Crescent was not engaged in the recent fight. It could be they have all split up."

"Sun and Moon have an intricate relationship: one invariably follows the other," the seated prince commented almost absently. "Sailor Uranus may have met some outside... misfortune. We can only hope." He remained silent, but he began to swirl the liquid again.

"I shall refrain from sending more eggs then, until the situation is better evaluated?"

The silent prince gave a nod, then flicked his fingers dismissively. The young man bowed and then left his Prince to his shadows, drink, and thoughts. In his place, a faint image began to glow.

A shadowy woman kneeled gracefully on the floor, her every attribute seemed pale: skin, hair, gown. Her long hair pooled around her, her hands frozen in the motion of running through the strands, and glinting from her shadowed face was a golden upturned crescent moon sitting proudly upon her forehead.

* * *

_  
Usagi was having a nightmare; or rather, Usagi wished she was having a nightmare. The unpleasant dreamscape was based on reality, though, and it was a memory she wished she could forget._

The attacks had been gaining frequency and there still seemed to be no pattern to them. They were lucky to be on summer break because there was little chance the three of them could have remained awake in school. But this attack came during the day. Haruka had felt the intruder's presence most strongly since she was closest to the place, but Usagi and Lana - transformed into Sailors Crescent Moon and Sun, respectively - came quickly after Haruka specified the location. When they arrived they found Haruka already transformed into Sailor Uranus, but curiously she hadn't engaged in a fight yet; she motioned them to remain quiet.

Peering cautiously from their concealment, they saw why. The doll-like youma they had become familiar in fighting was doing nothing. In fact, it wasn't even disguised; the featureless sphere that was its head bore only a down-turned black crescent moon, its black and blocky body was vaguely male, and it was standing completely still. At its feet lay a large black egg which appeared to pulse regularly with a faint black light. Several feet from this doll and egg were two arguing women; one with long wavy hair in a pink bodysuit and purple spiky tutu, the other was slightly shorter and had white hair in a braid and wore what looked like a one piece blue swimsuit. They argued quietly until one got angry enough to start yelling. The argument became a shouting match that the three eavesdropping Senshi could clearly hear.

"The droid is supposed to gather energy to incubate the egg _after_ we bury it," the white haired one yelled as she pointed at the subjects.

"_No_," the pink and purple one shouted back, "we give the droid an order, _it_ buries the egg, and guards it while it rows inside the energy pocket. The droid keeps the egg from hatching too soon." She stood to her superior height and looked clearly condescending. "We don't do anything besides give the droid the order to guard the egg and then leave."

The three had heard enough and decided to make their presence known before the others had a chance to retaliate.

"That's enough!" Uranus shouted as she stepped out from behind a tree. "With the Heavenly Winds' mighty force, I shall eliminate all who threaten a clear sky with their dark intentions. Sailor Uranus!"

"The light of my Sun reveals all to me and no shadows can stand in my way. Sailor Sun!"

"Ever present at night or day, the Moon sees all; your evil plans will not be allowed and shall end on my edge. Sailor Crescent Moon!"

Sol and Crescent stepped out on opposite sides of the same tree.

"We will defeat you!" they all cried in unison.

The two women blanched and then shouted at one another again.

"You're older, Berty, do something," the taller one yelled as she backed away.

"You're bigger, Katzy, _you_ do something," the white one retorted as she, too, stepped back. A black swirling portal opened behind her. "Buh-bye!" she cheered with a mocking wave and then vanished into the darkness.

Katzy paled further and then barked out at the immobile droid. "Vinella! Awake and use these bugs as fertilizer! Feed them to your seedling and make it strong!" Then she, too, disappeared through a black hole.

The battle with the plant-warped droid was long and tedious, but with no buildings or people to worry about they could be more aggressive. Crescent had stepped back for a breather and noticed the egg behind the youma had put down roots and was partially buried in the ground now. Knowing this could not be anything good, she rushed to attack the egg while the droid was preoccupied with her companions.

_Usagi, still dreaming, heard herself screaming and tried to pull away._

'_Don't touch it! Don't break it! Nooo!'_

The rooted egg came apart easily and messily. The thick shell was surprisingly fragile and the internal liquid substance spread everywhere. When the egg came apart, so did the droid. Unlike the droid, which disintegrated soon after, the parts of the egg stuck to everything it touched. Soon after, it became acidic and began to spread. Crescent, who took the brunt of the gunk, had a short screaming fit before she was engulfed in the stuff.

Usagi fell into a darkness first, and then a battle scene.

"Princess!" A bloodied, orange and yellow Senshi grabbed her arm. "Princess, you should remain in the palace. It's not safe for you here!" The woman – _Venus,_ her mind had whispered to her then – pushed her back to a large and still whole building.

The scene blurred and she was in darkness again.

_What nightmares do you hold?_ A sibilant voice hissed from the black.

Then she was in the palace, this time more ruined.

"Serenity!" a familiar voice called.

Usagi turned to face a ragged Sailor Uranus. She looked around before realizing Uranus meant her. Uranus, too, looked around carefully as she stepped closer.

"Baby sister," she whispered, "you should be inside. With Mother and Solanara." The sound of crumbling stone and faint yelling caused Uranus to pull Usagi further into the palace. "It's important you all stay safe!"

"And you, Elder Sister?" Usagi heard herself say formally.

Uranus paused only long enough to give her a sardonic smile.

"I am recognized only as the child of Uranus, koneko(4), not the Moon. You know that. I love you all, but I belong out there with the others."

_But you are a child of Serenity, too,_ Usagi thought. The idea startled her, but not as much as the responding thought from Uranus.

_And only Mother, sister, you and I know that. Only we _can_ know that._

Somehow the two had come to an enclosed room without Usagi's notice. The doors opened at a touch and waiting inside was a fancily dressed Lana and a familiar woman; a woman with pale hair in twin buns-and-streamers and a gold moon on her forehead.

"My daughters," Queen Serenity's musical voice was melancholic and resigned. "I love you all. Watch out for one another."

Then there was a bright light that covered everything and Usagi in civilian form was staring up into the dazed and concerned faces of Sol and Uranus.

_Sisters,_ her mind whispered, memories of another life flooding through.

_We're here_, she heard them chorus inside her head with amazement.

Usagi had sat up and all three burst into simultaneous tears and hugs and jumbled words as the memories poured through them.

_In the early morning light Usagi came awake in her bed and held back her tears._

We're all right, _she consoled he self._ We're together again. We have each other. _A tiny voice whispered that there should be others as well, but she quickly silenced it._ We are Celestial.

_With those dubiously reassuring thoughts, Usagi slipped into a quiet dreamless sleep, not acknowledging the voice that whispered things weren't supposed to happen like this._

* * *

(1) **Konban'wa, minna:** "Good evening, everyone" - if my spelling & translations are accurate 

(2) **droids**: in the manga, at least, the Black Moon did not transform others into monsters, but constructed dolls called 'droids' that they used as youmas instead.

(3) **senshi:** reiterating, capitalized indicates the Sailor Senshi, lower case includes the Shitennou and the Senshi because it means "fighter(s); warrior(s)" if my translations are correct

(4) **koneko:** kitten, one of Haruka's pet names for Usagi.

(the disappearance of Ozzy) Just a random note: things like this I usually will write a drabble for and post it in my LiveJournal (under the tag "drabble" or "ctm") just for amusement. For example; how Lana and Usagi got Eos into the cat carrier/plane. It's not very funny, but it's there. Some of them also give... hints, or a better insight into some details, if you want a mini "spoiler." My betas sometimes make requests for some scenarios or extra details I can't work into the actual story, so if you're looking for such things too, check my LJ. It's in my bio page listed as my homepage.

* * *

_Thank you all for reading, and please leave a review!_

_**Please let me know what you think of my attempts at humor in the beginning. I'm not really a humor-writer, since mine's a little skewed, so I'd very much appreciate any and every feedback about it!**_

_Anyone itching for a good fic, go read Sparkling Moon Phoenix's works. Sailor Solaris: Hidden Destiny is an amazing original storyline and I just love the way she writes so I'm sure no one would be disappointed when reading:bows head: I love reading, but I myself am not diligent about reviewing._

_Final note: I have made a Yahoo!Group (you can find it through my bio page) for anyone interested in looking. I've got some unseen works-in-slow-progress in the files, and I'm hoping to do a bit more reader-interaction with it. Adopt-a-bunnie, scene-requests, a reader's-contest and such things. I know it's something that'll probably take up email space, but yahoo registration is free and doesn't require a yahoo email at least, and I'd really like to see my reader's interact with each other and myself. Who knows, you could influence this and/or future stories. Anyway, I'd like to see people join, but don't feel you have to._


	12. Unplanned Introduction

**Chasing the Moon**

**Chapter 12**

_-mental conversation-_

**Author's Note:** I know, I know. It's been ages since I've updated, and I do sincerely apologize. I'm not entirely happy with this chapter, if only because it focuses on one character - and not a character I really wanted to put emphasis on. Really, it's supposed to be a more Usagi-centric fic! grr. This is a short one, and I apologize for that as well. The next chapter is written but not completed; I'm attempting to work it out of its filler-chapter phase and into something more forward-usable but its being extremely stubborn. It looks like it'll be another wait for it.

Additional notes at bottom. Onto what you want.

* * *

Something was up. It'd been almost three weeks now with no attacks of any kind. Not a peep from Beryl and neither hide nor hair from the Clan.

"Maybe they crossed paths, annoyed each other, and did us all a favor and eliminated each other?"

Usagi, Haruka, and Eos turned to look at Lana. Their expressions nearly identical, each of them clearly thought, '_what is she on?_' Lana flushed under their scrutiny but scowled back.

"What?" she huffed. "It's possible! Queen stone-heart would consider this _her_ territory and by now would be aware that others have settled in and you _know_ how clingy and possessive she is. She would definitely go out and eliminate any potential threats."

"My money's on the Clan," Haruka piped in. "Beryl is child's play in comparison to what the Clan can dish out."

Eos looked at the mischievously smirking Haruka; Usagi rocked back on her heels.

"I dunno," Usagi started thoughtfully. "Beryl's one tenacious bi-"

"Language!" Eos growled. Usagi just grinned down at the green-eyed feline. Eos flicked her tail irately at the three. "As amusing as your scenarios are, what if they teamed up together? 'The enemy of mine enemy...'?" Eos cast a glare back at them as they considered that serious possibility. "So do you think _now_ would be a good time for you to practice?"

"Yes, Ozzy," they chorused. They all followed after the cat, seeking a private place to practice their techniques and attacks more.

After several hours spent practicing outside the city limits, the group returned to the apartment where they ate dinner in quiet and then retired for the night.

"Don't forget to set your alarms girls; you have a new school to look forward to in the morning," Eos reminded them before they fell asleep.

Lana and Usagi both groaned at the reminder but obediently, albeit reluctantly, set the alarms.

"Good night, girls."

"Good night, Eos."

* * *

Haruka sat staring into space, ignoring the repetitive lecture the teacher was attempting to force-feed the bored students. Surreptitiously, she loosened the tie of her male's uniform and glanced at possibly the only genuinely interested student, Michiru. Absently leaning her chin in one hand, she gazed speculatively at her musically renowned classmate. After several minutes of observation, Michiru began to feel the gaze on her and paused in her note taking to scan those around and behind her. Haruka transferred her gaze out the window closest to her as casually as she could so as not to be obvious and draw attention. She felt Michiru's gaze linger on her a moment before returning back to the front and her notes. Haruka suppressed her smirk and returned her attention to the teacher for the last few minutes of the class.

After classes let out for the day, Haruka found herself walking a few yards behind her subject of interest. The elegant teenager didn't just walk, she glided across the ground. Michiru was walking alone, unusual for the socially-interactive dependency of the school, but then again, Haruka herself more often walked along unless she decided to go flirting. 'For practice,' she'd reason.

As the crowds of departing students thinned out, Haruka found herself still following behind Michiru. Coming to an intersection, Michiru took a left - towards the popular hangout _The Crown Arcade_, she knew - while Haruka turned in the opposite direction intending to meet Usagi and Lana at their school.

Walking down the street, Haruka glanced at a darkened store. She paused and frowned at the seemingly closed shop on the otherwise busy street but shrugged and continued on. She eventually picked up Usagi and Lana and the three headed towards the Arcade. Just before reaching the entrance, she stopped and turned to them.

"They hang out here."

Lana and Usagi abruptly stopped talking.

"And yes, they're likely here now. The guys will probably be along later, but the girls are more than likely in a booth somewhere."

"I want to see them," Lana said after a long moment of silence. The two looked at her. "You two have something of an advantage over me; Haru-kun, you've been 'living' with them so to speak, and Bunny, you..."

"Have a history with them?"

Lana pushed out a smile. "Yeah. You and Haru-kun both. I'd only ever get to watch from the sidelines."

"Okay," Haruka said. "Let's go in then."

Haruka took the lead and gallantly opened the door like the gentleman she was dressed in uniform as. The two giggled at her and waited for her to lead them to a booth. They could feel the Senshi inside and behind them. It was hard to describe the sensation, like an instinct and a connection similar to a soulmate's bond, but not as intimate. The girls were unique among all others and shared a bond unlike anything else. With their past memories, the trio were more in tune with their bond to the others and tried to dampen their presence on the off-chance that one of the others might instinctively pick up on them.

Haruka, without glancing at the group, moved to a booth near the back where they had an unobstructed view of the booth containing five girls; two in matching uniforms from Haruka's school, and the other three in uniforms from Usagi and Lana's school. They were smiling and laughing and looked like a completely normal group of teenage girls.

A waitress came over shortly after they got comfortable and the three of them ordered a shared meal and separate drinks.

"So?" Usagi asked Lana as she munched on some fries. "What do you think?"

Lana snuck another glance at the booth, Haruka glancing around the arcade but often watching the booth as well.

"I can understand why you two want to get this all over with. They're..."

"Attractive?" Haruka quipped.

"Do you mean the group or the girl?" Usagi teased as she caught Haruka staring. Haruka blushed and sputtered as Lana laughed.

"I'll dye your hair blue one of these nights," Haruka grumbled at the laughing teen.

"Oh, eew! Don't transpose your Neptune fantasy onto me; that's nasty! We're sisters!" Lana gasped out. She laughed harder as Haruka floundered even more while turning both red and green.

Left without a comeback, Haruka huffed and got up.

"Where ya going, Ruka-chan?" Usagi wheezed out between laughs.

"To pay the bill," was the grounded out answer.

"She's right though," Lana said as she calmed from her laughing fit. Usa gave her a look. "They are attractive." At Usagi's expression she hurried on. "Magnetic! Not so much the opposite attracts theory -" she tilted her head in Haruka's direction "- but the birds of a feather kinda thing." Usagi nodded.

"Gotcha."

As Haruka walked away from the bothersome blondes she called sisters, she realized that in order to pay the bill she would have to walk by the Senshis' table. Letting out a breath, she forced her body to relax and ignore the table of girls as if they were strangers.

_Which they are, _she told herself. _You don't know them; don't know anything about them._

'_Not true,'_ something inside her whispered. _'You know names. You know identities. Abilities. Potentials. Histories…'_

For a split second, Haruka's eyes turned and met Michiru's as she passed by the table. She felt the sharp jolt of their personal connection run through her. Then she felt the echo of it run through Michiru first, Usagi and Lana close after, and then the rest of the senshi a second later.

_Shit,_ the three thought at once.

Haruka's body tensed a moment before she continued on as though nothing had happened. She could hear absolute silence from the table and felt several pairs of eyes on her back as she got to the counter, paid the bill, and walked to the door. A long minute later Usa and Lana joined her and they left the arcade.

"Well," Lana started, "now I know you meant the girl."

Haruka gave Lana a confused look before red suddenly bloomed across her cheeks. With a mangled shout Haruka took off running after the laughing teen. Usagi smiled and walked home calmly.

* * *

Haruka lost track of the sneaky Lana in the busy shopping district, but a quick call to Usagi confirmed that Lana made it home and whom then began taunting the oldest girl through the phone on Usagi's side. Haruka shook her head unseen and said she would be home in a few hours; she was going to clean her head a bit. Usagi relayed a message from Eos not to be too late or she'd have Usagi cook dinner. Usagi gave an indignant squeak at the end, but Haruka laughed and promised before hanging up.

Haruka left the district and entered the park. Glancing around and seeing she was alone, Haruka stepped into the darker shade off the paths and placed her school bag, jacket, and shoes into her subspace pocket and took out a worn pair of running shoes.

Finding one of the less used jogging paths, she stretched first and then began to jog slowly. Completing one circuit without coming across anyone else, Haruka gradually picked up her pace. The scenery blurred as she pushed herself faster and harder, forcing her body to reach beyond its human limits without tapping into her abilities as the Senshi of Wind to 'cheat.' Finally beginning to slowly down, Haruka walked a few more shorter circuits to cool down and noticed it getting dark.

_Uh oh, time to go,_ Haruka thought and walked a little faster. _Eos might actually let koneko near the stove._

Seeing she was still alone, Haruka grabbed her jacket from the sub-pocket and put it against the growing chill before heading home.

Several blocks from the apartment building, the familiar full of a negative interruption slithered down Haruka's back and she paused. The feeling was much weaker though and she realized it was probably one of Beryl's lackeys. Turning to ignore the fight – the Senshi were quite capable of handling her youma – Haruka paused as Eos's words from the day before came to mind.

'_What if they teamed up?'_

Haruka paused again and sighed. Opening her unique link to the others she sent out a call.

_--Imoutos?-- _(1)

A brief sensation of warm sunlight on her face and the smell of extinct moon blossoms.

_--Hai, onee-chan?-- _(2) Two voices.

_--Beryl seems to have made an appearance tonight. Shopping district. I'm going to observe.--_

_--Why?-- _Usagi asked, confused.

_--Beryl actually showed?__--_ Lana exclaimed. _--__Can I come?__--_

_--__Because- __--_

_--__Of course Beryl didn't show, you puffball!__--_Usagi retorted._--__Beryl's a coward, she wouldn't come if someone else can do it.__--_

_--__Hey!__--_Lana shot back_. __--__I'm not a puffball, you… you… odango!__--_

Haruka rubbed her temples, feeling a headache approach with the mental argument.

_--__Enough!__--_ Haruka yelled. _--__I'm going to watch in case Eos is right and she joined with the Clan! That's it!__--_

Silence.

_--__Okay,__--_ the two whispered meekly.

_--__Can I still come, too?__--_ Lana ventured timidly.

_--__Ask Eos.__--_

With that, Haruka dropped her connection and turned in the opposite direction. Back to the fight and the tugging-at-her-heart sensation she now acknowledged.

Fifteen minutes later, Sailor Sun joined Sailor Uranus on the second floor balcony inside the deserted shop Haruka passed by earlier. Below them lay a very damaged floor, six Sailor Senshi, four Shitennou, one General – a knock-off of Nephrite – and a very ugly and unrecognizable youma. The General actually floated a few yards in front of the two hidden senshi, his back to them and completely unaware. He also blocked the two from the others' view without hindering theirs. The battle ended quickly, three Senshi and the original Nephrite combining attacks – apparently a certain power combination was the weakness – and overwhelming the youma, which then disintegrated.

As the group celebrated the victory they didn't notice the General launching an attack at the nearest Senshi, Sailor Neptune.

"No!" Uranus cried out.

Without conscious thought, she launched herself at Neptune the same time General Nephlyte did his attack. She managed to push the aquatic senshi out of harm's way but the attack grazed her own leg. In mid-fall, Uranus spun around and launched a counterattack at the fading General.

"_World Shaking!_" The planet-shaped attack passed through the general and, Uranus realized with horror, headed towards Sol's hiding spot. "No!" The attack exploded and then silence fell.

Neptune moved beneath Uranus's body, and Uranus blushed before getting off and offering a hand. Neptune accepted and the two felt a familiar spark. Standing, Neptune kept hold of the proffered hand and asked,

"_Who _are _you_?"

Shifting her grip on the hand, Uranus raised it to her lips and said, "I am Sailor Uranus, Lady Neptune," smirking as she pressed a kiss to the gloved knuckles and received a soft, becoming blush.

"You're one of us then?" Sailor Venus asked as she stepped forward, into her role of leader.

Uranus raised a slim brow and then suppressed a frown as Neptune blanched and pulled away. "I am a Sailor Senshi, _Lady_ Venus."

Venus frowned. "But you are one of us," she reiterated.

"She is a Sailor Senshi, Lady Venus," a new but familiar voice said from shadow. "Just as she said." At Uranus's visible look of relief, Sol scowled and turned to the Wind Senshi. "Nice aim, by the way," she growled.

"Knew you'd move," Uranus mock-smirked. "You're afraid of the dark on your own."

Before Sailor Sun could retort, Sailor Jupiter interrupted this time.

"Whoa, wait! You two," she pointed to Uranus and Sol, "know each other?"

"Of course," Uranus replied nonchalantly. She walked over to the gold senshi and crossed her arms as she leaned nearby.

"We are on the same side," Sailor Sun concluded.

"_Traitor_," Sailor Mars hissed suddenly.

Uranus turned cold eyes on the Fire Senshi. "Excuse me?"

"If you are siding with a self-proclaimed 'senshi' of whom there's absolutely _no_ record of–"

"Be quiet before you make a greater fool of yourself, _Lady Mars_," Uranus said coldly.

"It's _Sailor_ Mars," she snapped.

"Not yet, it's not," Sol fired back. She turned to the glowering Uranus. "Time to go. She's waiting."

The two turned away from the fussing senshis and the smartly silent Shitennou and left through the second floor the same way they got in.

* * *

"Well, not the way I wanted our first conversation to go."

"Yeah, mine either."

"That was your first convo?"

"Yeah."

"Really?"

"Yes. What of it?"

"I thought you would've talked to her sooner, is all."

There was a growl followed by a giggle-squeal and then running footsteps.

* * *

It was a week after Sailor Uranus's introduction to the Sailor Senshi of Tokyo, and almost a month since Michiru's concert, and Haruka finally had the time and quiet to begin practicing again. Lana and Usagi, accompanied by Eos, had gone out for the day to get a more personal feel for the city's layout. Well, Eos had, the girls were using it as an excuse to go shopping.

Walking to the opposite side of the suite, Haruka turned around a casually concealed corner to face a set of stairs leading to a loft a flight above. The loft was the major reason Haruka bought the suite. The loft could only be accessed by the staircase – or, for those specially endowed, a small balcony on the outside – and was a single, large room about the same size as the entire apartment below it. It had been extremely tricky getting the baby grand piano inside, but with the help of her subspace pocket – which, apparently, could hold _anything_ – and her senshi strength, she managed to relocate the instrument from its delivery to her downstairs apartment to the loft. The loft walls, floor, and ceiling had all been carefully reinforced and soundproofed so she and the others could practice on a smaller scale. Currently, the piano was the only thing in the room since she had yet to bring the girls up.

Sitting down on the padded stool, Haruka let her fingers softly run across the keys before closing her eyes and playing a melody not known since her ancient life so long ago. Her eyes closed as she fell into the music, hearing the phantom accompaniment her partner used to play. She was startled into faltering when the voice of her princess joined in with the lyrics.

"Don't stop," Lana whispered, dreamily. "That's so lovely."

Haruka turned and spotted Lana leaning against the open entrance to the stairs with Usagi a few feet away and gazing carefully at her.

"Won't you keep playing?" Usagi asked carefully. "We can leave if it bothers you."

"No," Haruka sighed, raking a hand through her short strands. "I'll be playing in front of crowds eventually, why not start now?"

Usagi smiled as Haruka turned around and resumed playing.

* * *

(1) imoutos: little/younger sisters (Please forgive me if I'm using the wrong form for plural.)

(2) onee-chan: big/elder sister (might use 'aneue' since I've seen that too **EDIT:** thanks for the correction everyone, can't believe I missed that...)

**  
Note 1**: Lana calling Haruka "Haru-kun"  my understanding is that -kun is usually addressed to boys or sometimes to those more familiar than -san but not as childish as a -chan seems. If it hasn't been noticed yet, Lana does/will call Haruka "Haru(-kun)" as a type of nickname while Usagi uses "Ruka(-chan)" or "Kaze-chan (usually in reference to something)" as her nickname for Haruka.

The two variations distinguish Lana and Usagi's perspectives of Haruka, I think/hope. "Haru" is more a male name, which Lana often sees Haruka as with her strength of character; "Ruka" sounds more feminine to me, and fits with my view of Usagi seeing her more clearly as a sister. ... Don't know how else to explain it without going into a long(er) and detailed explanation.

**Note** **2**: Yes, there IS a reason that Uranus/Sol/Moon are calling the others "Lady" (planet) instead of "Sailor" (planet). If you remember from way back in the beginning, when Lana & Usagi were learning immunity, that's going to play a big role especially in the Trials to come. Basically though, it's my view of what makes a senshi a proper Sailor Senshi that'll be coming into play. Just having the ability isn't enough - Galaxia's animates are pretty much proof of that. So then, what makes a "real" Senshi?

As for the Trials, I have "technically" written up the first Trial already. Wrote it way back when I started the story and it's the very first fight scene I ever wrote. And it's long. And it needs a fair amount of tweaking before it ever gets put into the story. It's in the Files in my Yahoo group. And maybe my LJ.

**Author Notes:** OMG! I've just checked and I'm ashamed to see that it's been almost an entire YEAR since I last posted! SORRY!! I gotta say that I'm amazed that I've still gotten email notifications that people are still putting me on they're favorite/alert lists and leaving comments. You all rock!! I don't plan on dragging the story along (which means finishing at no more than 30 chapters...) so I hope everyone is willing to stick with me to the end. For those of you who have stuck with me this long, my most heartfelt thanks. I tend to be insecure and very critical about my writing and reading all your reviews and seeing that I'm actually on favorites' lists means the world to me. If anyone actually reads this, if you leave your email address and a note saying "please send!" I'll send you what I've written about the Shitennou's background story - that may or may not make it into the next chapter.

Thank you all!


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